Lust and Anguish
by Adv4eternity
Summary: May decides to continue traveling with Ash in hopes of becoming more than friends. As the two of them slowly grow a strong bond, what happens when a particularly jealous person decides to force one of the two into breaking the other persons heart? [Advanceshipping]
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note:**

 **This is my very first fanfic so please review. Constructive-criticism is always welcomed.**

 **If you were wondering, I fully intend to finish this story, and I plan to update at much as possible. I'll be updating at least once per 2 weeks, but you can surely expect to see occasional multiple chapters within the time frame. It all really depends on how busy I am.**

 **Please enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not and never will own Pokemon.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

"Both Ash and May are declared the winners!"

The two contenders could not believe it. Through all the hard work and training with each other, Ash and May managed to battle it out in the finals, and what better way to end it than with a tie between the two of them. The large crowd had erupted with approval as cheers and whistling were heard throughout the stands.

"That was a great battle, May." Ash smiled, stepping toward May at the center of the battlefield with his hand extended.

"Indeed, I wouldn't have it any other way." May smiled back, accepting the handshake. "I must say, for someone who isn't really into coordinating, you did pretty well."

"I guess that means that I'm a natural, huh." Ash smirked, his ego getting the better of him.

May sighed, knowing that nothing could be done to change Ash's pride. As the two continued talking about the battle that had just occurred, Nurse Joy walked onto the battlefield, carrying the case that held the grand prize.

"Congratulations on the performance and...uh... I guess victories on both parts!" Nurse Joy said gleefully. "Unfortunately, we only have one ribbon to award."

Nurse Joy offered the ribbon to the winners, and, grinning, Ash took the ribbon.

"Don't worry, we know just what to do, don't we, May?" He said, turning towards the Brunette on his side. May nodded, taking the ribbon from Ash's hand.

As May threw the award straight into the air, Ash quickly called out Sceptile and commanded him to split the ribbon. Within seconds, the two, perfectly cut halves of the ribbon fell into the palms of Ash and May, respectively.

The two heroes turned towards each other, grinning, knowing that upon winning a badge or a ribbon, they will presume to act out their usual boasting of obtaining a new award.

On the stands, the Brock, Max and Pikachu looked on and noticed the grins that grew on their friends' faces.

"Whelp," Brock began, "get ready to hear the two of them yell-"

Instantaneously, Ash and May flashed their ribbons, yelling out, "I got a ribbon!"

Brock, Max and Pikachu all sweat-dropped.

"Well, looks like they aren't dropping that tradition any time soon." Max grumbled.

"Pikapi." Pikachu shook his head.

Ash and May ran towards the stands to where their friends were, receiving praise.

"Hey, great job you guys, you two fought well." Brock patted the two winners on the shoulders.

"Yeah, that was actually really intense and entertaining." Max added.

"Pika!" Pikachu nodded with agreement, then jumped onto Ash's shoulder and began nuzzling his cheek before turning to May and giving a fist pump to the air.

"Thanks, all that practice really paid off!" Ash said.

"Yeah, and if it weren't for Ash and all his training with me and helping me to understand Pokemon, I wouldn't have gotten that far!" May smiled, who, without realization, grabbed hold of and hugged Ash's arm.

The rest of the gang froze, surprised by May's sudden clinginess. May realized what she was doing and quickly reverted her arms, bringing an arm behind her back and the other behind her head while nervously laughing, hoping that no one had noticed or at least was going to question her. However, as always, her little brother thought otherwise.

"Uh, May, why were you just holding onto Ash's arm like that?" Max questioned, suspecting something of May.

May gulped, hating herself for committing to that act out of nowhere.

"Er u-umm, wh-what do you m-mean?" May faked a laugh, feeling the pressure of all the eyes on her.

"May, everyone saw you hug his arm," Max sighed, then, after thinking for a bit, began developing a rather sinister looking grin, staring straight into his sister's eyes.

May gulped again, sweating more than ever. She prayed that somehow she would be able to get out of this conversation, considering her brothers evil smile. A lesson she learned from home was that whenever her brother grew devilish smiles, terrible things were expected for her, mostly resulting in Max's exposing of May.

As May searched for something in the vicinity to distract the gang, Max already proceeded to embarrass her.

"Hey, guys, May likes Ash!" Max shouted, then quickly hid behind Brock, since he was the oldest and the most mature of the group.

Having experienced her nightmare of having her feelings for Ash revealed prematurely and on someone else's terms, May lunged for Max, anger and embarrassment apparent on her face.

"Why, you little brat!" May began, shoving Brock out of the way and causing her brother to squirm. As she was about to grab Max by the arm and give him a piece of her mind, she felt a hand grab hers, restraining her from doing anything troublesome. May turned, looking to see whose hand it was, and saw the face of the boy she had began developing feelings for during their adventures.

"Hey, May, no need to resort to violence." Ash said with a stern face.

May nodded, agreeing to drop the fight with her sibling for now. He let go of May and turned towards Max, who quivered on the ground.

"Of course she would like me, we are friends after all!" Ash grinned.

May fell to the ground in disbelief of Ash's obliviousness while Max shook his head and face palmed.

" _Man, this guy is super dense._ " May and Max thought simultaneously.

May regained her composure and stood up.

" _Well, at least I can express my feelings for him on my own terms now_." She thought.

Meanwhile, Ash and Pikachu both stared at the two siblings with confusion, then dismissed what had just transpired, believing this to be an act of fun. As for Brock, he put his hand to his chin, contemplating.

" _Well, that sure was strange,_ " he thought. " _If what Max said is true, and_ _considering May's reaction to his statement, I guess May really does have a thing for Ash. I guess that I'll help her however I can to bring them close together. If I can't find love with all the Nurse Joy's and Officer Jenny's, then I'll help a friend in need!_ "

Just then, two very audible and loud grumbles escaped from the stomachs of Ash and May. They grinned at their very similar eating schedule and food habits.

"Hey, guys, why don't you say we go eat at a restaurant?" Ash suggested.

"Sounds great! I could really use a good meal after such a long day!" May replied, glad to leave the potentially worsening conversation of her liking of Ash behind.

The heroes agreed to eat, and with that, they exited the arena and walked underneath the setting sun.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter** **2**

"Gee, will you guys ever learn your table manners?"

Our heroes have settled into a rather small but humble restaurant that featured mostly ramen. Of course, Ash and May had no problem with the menu, so they quickly ordered bowl after bowl of noodles.

In response to Max's question pertaining to table manners, May purposely slurped louder on her noodles, gaining the attention of grossed-out customers seated near them.

Ash chuckled, then began eating thenoodles the same way as May, filling the restaurant with the ear-wrenching sounds of slurping.

"Uh, guys, you might want to tone it down a bit, everyone is staring at us." Brock said.

Ash and May looked around and smiled sheepishly at the costumers nearby and sadly obliged, eating at considerably slower pace that was becoming increasingly more excruciating for the both of them. As the four continued eating ramen, Pikachu happily sat on Ash's head, licking from a ketchup bottle Ash had to buy from a store.

After minutes of silently eating, Brock turned to May.

"Hey, May, are you still going to the Johto region with Drew?" Brock asked, hoping to gain some enlightenment of the love situation.

Ash seemed a bit uneasy about the question, catching the attention of May. She contemplated for a bit.

"Well, I was planning to tag along with him and possibly begin a nice and interesting journey with him," May began.

Just then, Ash cringed, then immediately began eating his noodles to pretend nothing had happened. This time, both Brock and May happened to notice.

A feeling of pain suddenly shot in her heart as she thought about traveling without...him. What would she be able to do without the genuine support, the kindness, the fun, and, in general,..."Ash." She thought. May looked at the boy of her dreams and could tell he was holding his breath, waiting for her answer.

" _I-I can't go without him_ ," She concluded in her mind, " _he...he means too much to me. I can't bear_ _to_ _leave his side._ "

May brought herself back to reality and smiled at her friends, ready to answer.

"I think I like the idea of traveling with you guys more. Plus, that means that Max can continue traveling with us too!"

Upon hearing this, Ash let out a sigh of relief, while Max jumped up from his seat in joy. Prior to the contest, Max was awfully gloomy since his sister was planning to leave for Johto, meaning that he would have to go back home to Petalburg city. However, May also had other plans.

"Max, that comes with new rules we will establish for letting you continue on the journey with us: absolutely NO IMMATURE REMARKS, AND YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT." She exclaimed, wagging her finger at Max.

Max sighed, a bit disheartened that he could no longer tease and press the issue regarding Ash.

"Fine, I guess I'll try to do that as much as possible, as long as I can travel with you guys." He said gloomily.

Ash looked at Pikachu and whispered, "do you know what they are talking about?"

Pikachu could only shrug; even he did not know what was going on.

As the gang finished eating, they paid for their meals and walked beneath the night sky, hoping to find some place to stay in.

"Hey, before we go to Sinnoh to begin our next adventure, what do you guys say we have a sort of 'mini vacation?' You know, where we don't worry about training and winning and just relax?" May suggested to the group with intentions of doing fun activities that would bring her closer to Ash.

"You know what, that sounds great! My Pokemon could actually use a small break from all the hard work." Ash answered.

"Yeah, and if we stay in a hotel, that means that we don't have to resort to our sleeping bags!" Max added.

"Alright, well I guess we are taking a small vacation. What should we do then?" Brock asked.

"Well, a visit to the beach sounds nice."

May suggested, envisioning herself playing in the water with Ash and having a good time. She pictured herself holding onto her crush as they went surfing and such, and even sharing an ice cream cone on the boardwalk. Soon enough, her imaginative mind got the best of her.

* * *

 **In May's fantasy world**

"Oh, Ash, you look so unbelievably amazing!" May, clad in her pink bikini, praised while admiring Ash, specifically his toned body. Ash was in his black swim trunks, which complimented his look.

The two were standing on the sand that was located next to the blue, crystal clear water. The sky was cloudless, and the sun shined brightly on May, making her appearance that of a Goddess.

"Well, I could say the same about you, May." Ash said, walking up to the brunette. "You are absolutely the most beautiful person I have ever met."

May blushed, as she felt Ash gently lift her chin up to make her look him in the eyes.

"Oh, Ash." May was ecstatic as she felt herself moving closer and closer to the boy in front of her. Ash did the same, and, while wrapping his arms around May's waist, closed his eyes, making the move that would make May feel eternal happiness. May instinctively wrapped her arms around the boy's neck and closed her eyes as well and submitted to Ash's lips, kissing passionately. The two remained in each other's embrace for what would seem like an eternity, enjoying this precious moment of intimacy and affection.

* * *

Max saw his sister smiling and staring off to space and figured she was fantasizing about Ash. Immediately, he began teasing her.

"Heh heh, we all know why you want to go to the beach, May," Max said, pushing up his glasses, "all you want to do is make kissy faces at-"

Snapping out of her daydream, May glared at her brother, mentally threatening him. Max seemed to get the message and immediately stopped his berating.

Ash and Pikachu looked at each other with confusion and shrugged, while Brock chuckled at May's predicament. Just then, the group came into view of a hotel, where they all decided to spend the night in. They managed to get a capacious room with four separate beds and a luxurious bathroom.

For bed arrangements, May quickly called the bed directly next to Ash, feeling happier and safer. Max rolled his eyes and turned in for the night on the bed on the other side of May.

As May went to the bathroom to shower, Brock decided to press on to Ash about his suspicious reactions that occurred during dinner.

"Hey, Ash, I want to talk to you for a bit." Brock said, motioning for him to sit down on the bed next to his, since they were going to sleep next to each other.

"Umm, okay." Ash sat down and looked at Brock. " What do you wanna talk about?"

Pikachu, who was on Ash's shoulder, was also curious.

"Well, um, I just wanted to ask you about why you happened to seem uneasy when May was talking about traveling with Drew?"

Ash froze, not knowing what to say.

"Umm, Ash, are you alright?" Brock asked, worried.

"Pika pika! Pikapi!" Pikachu tried shaking Ash to get him to come to his senses.

Ash finally answered. "Well, the thing is, I...I just hate the idea of May traveling with... Drew." Nervous, he looked down at his legs. "I-I mean, he is so arrogant and narcissistic, I'd hate imagining him getting along with May, especially them growing into something more than friends. You know what I mean?"

Brock nodded, understanding the situation.

"I just can't imagine her having to live with him, it's like he mostly cares about himself and not her. Now that May has decided to continue traveling with us, I guess I feel a lot better knowing she will be safe and happy." Ash finished.

"Pikapi." Pikachu cooed, happy that Ash was beginning to feel better about May.

"Alright, that's all I wanted to hear." Brock smiled. "Don't worry, I don't think she'll be leaving us anytime soon."

Brock looked up at the clock in the room, which read 11:00 p.m..

"Well, it's getting late, so I'm gonna go to sleep. Good night, Ash. Good night, Pikachu."

"Good night, Brock." Ash said.

"Pika!" Pikachu added.

As Brock slept, Ash and Pikachu decided to go to sleep as well. Ash got underneath the blanket and Pikachu curled up next to Ash's head.

Meanwhile, May finished her shower, changed her clothes, then opened the bathroom door. She saw Ash in bed with Pikachu and smiled.

"They look so cute." May quietly said to herself. She walked to her bed and glanced back at Ash. She bended over, her face inches from his, contemplating if she should quickly give him a peck on the cheek, but then decided not to if someone woke up and saw her. She sighed, then got into bed beneath the covers. She turned on her side so she could always see Ash. She smiled, then fell asleep.

Unbeknownst to May, Ash was awake the entire time, leaving his eye lids closed in an attempt to sleep. He had heard May's comment and had felt her light breath on his face. He felt warm inside, even though he did not understand why. He and May were just friends, right? He admitted he felt that May was becoming increasingly more caring towards Ash, but he had never made anything out of it. He was also forming a strange lust towards the girl, always wanting to be with her and never losing sight of the Brunette.

" _Augh, this is stressing my mind. I'm gonna have to talk to Brock about this._ " Ash thought, then fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

With the sun up bright and early, Brock and Max woke up. They quickly changed into their normal adventure clothes and noticed that Ash and May were still sound asleep, facing each other in their beds.

Max was about to shake them to get them up, but Brock held him back.

"We should leave them to their sleep. They will get up later." He explained, motioning for Max to leave the room with him to eat breakfast in the cafeteria located beneath the hotel.

Max nodded, and with that, the two left the room, closing the door behind them.

After some time had passed, May woke up, still laying in bed. The first thing, or person, rather, she saw was Ash, and she could not help but stare at him with admiration.

" _He looks so cute when he sleeps_ ," she thought, " _especially with that unkempt hair of his_."

Pikachu stirred, stretching next to Ash's sleeping figure. He hopped onto May's bed and cuddled against her. May giggled, lightly scratching Pikachu behind the ears, earning a heart-warming coo. She then returned her attention back to Ash.

As if he were able to sense that Pikachu was not in his immediate presence, Ash opened his eyes, seeing May staring back at him. May jolted a bit, worried about what Ash would say.

" _Oh no, how long have I been staring for?_ _What is he gonna make of this?_ " She asked herself nervously. She began zoning out with her thoughts to the point that she did not notice that Ash had asked her something.

"May?" Ash tried, getting up from bed and shaking May.

"Huh?" May was brought back to her senses and blushed when she saw Ash's hand on hers.

"Are you...alright, May?" Ash asked with concern, "you were just acting strangely."

May could only beam at Ash's caring nature.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was only just thinking about something."

"Well, if there's ever a problem, you can always come talk to me." Ash smiled, then went to the bathroom to change clothes.

Pikachu seemed to sense that there was more to May's actions, so he tried nudging the girl.

"Pika pika, pikachu?" Pikachu tried communicating to May.

May only looked puzzled, trying to translate what Pikachu was saying.

Pikachu sighed, then got out of the comforts of the brunette and onto Ash's bed. He imitated Ash sleeping and then opening his eyes, then pointed at May and creating a surprised reaction. He then hopped onto May's bed and, like how Ash did, put his paw on her hand. He then created the best affectionate smile he could, imitating May's blush.

"Oh, you're asking about my reaction?" May asked, understanding.

"Pi." Pikachu nodded.

May thought for a bit, thinking about what to say without revealing too much information.

"Well, I was just caught up with a thought, and then the next thing I knew, Ash was holding onto my hand, you see? I was just surprised, that's all." May smiled sheepishly.

Pikachu was not buying it.

"Pika pikapi, Pikachu." He shook his head, demanding the full truth.

May began feeling pressure, not expecting to be interrogated by the little Pokemon.

"U-umm. I'm not sure what you're t-talking about!" She stuttered.

Pikachu, dissatisfied by the answer, began sparking around the cheeks.

"Piiikaaa." Pikachu growled, warning May.

"Okay okay! I'll tell you!" May cried out. "Just keep this a secret from everyone, please? I don't want anyone to know."

"Pika!" Pikachu instantly changed his attitude to one of cheerfulness, almost acting like nothing bad had happened.

May sighed, grumbling that she had been forced to reveal her secrets prematurely.

"Well," She began quietly and unconfidently, "I-"

Just then, the bathroom door opened, revealing Ash in his normal everyday clothes.

"Phew!" May thanked Ash's interference in her mind for saving her from having to spill her biggest secret.

Pikachu glared at May as if to say, "don't think you're out of this just yet. When the time is right, you will tell me everything."

May grinned at Pikachu, then jumped out of bed and into the bathroom to change, hoping to escape anymore awkward interactions with Pikachu.

Ash looked at May as she passed by and into the bathroom and looked back at Pikachu, who was glaring at the door May was behind. Puzzled, and sensing tension in the room, he sat down next to Pikachu on May's bed.

"Hey, what's going on between you two?" Ash asked. "It isn't like you to glare at her like that."

Pikachu huffed, shrugging; he did not want to tell his trainer about his conversation with May, and in turn prevent any indications between her and Ash from being apparent this early.

"Alright then, I guess." Ash said, deciding to drop the subject. "Well, I guess we should just wait for May and then we can go down to eat breakfast, huh."

"Pi!"

* * *

After filling their stomachs with various foods for breakfast, Ash, Brock, Max, May, and Pikachu all took to the road together, venturing to the closest beach. Unfortunately, for our heroes, the closest beach was still rather far away.

Not even twenty minutes into the hike, May began stumbling from enervation.

"Guuuys," May whined, "can we just please take a short break?"

"May, we barely got any distance; you're only gonna set us back." Max groaned.

"Yeah, you're probably gonna have to work on your habit of only walking short distances at a time, May." Brock chuckled, earning a playful punch to the shoulder from the Brunette.

"I don't want to walk anymore! I'm tired!" May continued to plead, dropping to her knees with her hands clamped together in a begging position. Everyone else sighed.

"Come on, this was your idea to go to the beach." Ash stated.

May faked a whimper, making the most irresistibly cute face she could muster, staring at Ash with pleading eyes.

"Please, Ash? I only want to rest for awhile." May asked, pitching her voice to make it sound even more cute.

" _Dang, that is really adorable._ " Ash thought. The look on May's face made him feel sympathetic, almost like looking at a poor, lost child. May managed to get her eyes watery, a tear rolling down her face to add to the effect.

At this point, Ash couldn't hold it any longer.

"Oh, May." Ash said quietly, reaching for May in order to comfort her. He sat down next to the brunette and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "Please don't feel down, we can take a break." He gave a reassuring smile as he massaged her shoulders.

May blushed, then rested her head on Ash's shoulder.

"Thanks, Ash. You really do know how to make me feel better." May said sincerely.

Ash felt the heart-warming feeling in his chest again as he embraced the girl in his arms. " _What...what is this feeling?_ " Ash wondered, " _it's like I always have this feeling where I feel great with May, like she is...perfect with me._ " Ash froze at the thought, shocked at his sudden emotion. " _W-wait what? Th-that was...strange. I'm pretty sure I've never felt this before. But...with her, everything just feels so...right._ "

May was feeling a rush of excitement as Ash held her in his arms. She could not stop blushing and immediately began fantasizing about the raven-haired boy.

* * *

 **In May's fantasy world**

"Oh, Ash, I don't think I can make it!" May cried out as she fell down from exhaustion on the long road that eventually led to the beach. She and Ash were in a field of grass with trees and the sun was just about to set, coloring the clouds orange and red. The sky was a darkish-blue color, but there was enough sunlight to still see.

Ash walked up to her and picked her up, carrying her in his arms like a prince carrying a princess.

"Don't worry, I'm always here for you." Ash winked at her.

May giggled and snuggled up against him, her face buried in his chest. Ash walked and carried her effortlessly to the trunk of a tree. He gently lowered her so her back was against the solid, then he quickly joined her, resting against the tree. Ash had wrapped his arm around May, and she had laid her head on his shoulder. Then, out of nowhere, Ash playfully tackled May to the ground, getting on top of her and pinning her arms to the side with his own arms. May giggled again as Ash stared deep into her eyes with love, then he lowered his head, inches away from hers. May knew what was coming and caught Ash's lips with her own, feeling ecstasy. Together, they felt eternal happiness as they engaged in passionate and affectionate activities. The sun went down and the night sky went up, along with the countless beautiful stars that shined brightly.

Finally, after hours of intimacy, Ash stared deeply into May's eyes and said, "I love you, May, with all my heart."

May blushed. "I love you too."

They shared a kiss again as the moon shined brightly on the couple.

* * *

Both Ash and May were lost in their own worlds, forgetting about their other companions. Meanwhile, Max rolled his eyes in total disbelief of all the drama, while Brock gave a massive grin. Pikachu looked on with interest, closely watching Ash and May.

Max cleared his throat, gaining the attention of the coordinator and trainer.

"If you two lovebirds are done, how about if we actually get productive and move on." He said with his hands on his hips.

Ash appeared confused about the term "lovebirds" while May blushed, then quickly shot up and gave her brother severe head noogies.

"Max! What. Did. I. Tell. You. About. Immature. Remarks!" May said in between each noogie.

Max yelped in pain, begging for mercy.

"Please, sis! I couldn't help it! I promise I'll behave better!" He cried out.

Brock chuckled, then stepped in to separate the two siblings.

"Alright, you two, that's enough." He said calmly. When everyone settled down, he turned to May. "Do you still need to rest?"

May nodded, dropping down to the ground next to Ash and leaning against him.

Brock rubbed his chin, thinking.

"By my calculations, if we keep going at this rate, we're not gonna get to the beach until tomorrow afternoon." He stated. "And we're gonna have to resort to sleeping bags tonight."

Max groaned, then turned to his sister.

"This is all your fault!" He pointed a finger accusingly at her.

"Hey, I'm sorry, would you like to go back home since you have so much energy?" May asked sarcastically.

Max's eyes widened with fear, as predicted by May.

"Oh no, please, sis, I didn't mean it!" He begged, pulling on her arm.

May smirked, knowing that she can always get away with threatening Max. Thinking for a moment, she decided to play with Max, hoping for him to humiliate himself by begging for forgiveness.

"I don't know, Max, it seems like you always manage to misbehave." May grinned. "Plus, whenever you say you're sorry, you just continue to be the immature brother you are afterwards."

"No, please M-" Max cried out before being interrupted.

"You know what, I think it's better if I call mom and dad the next opportunity I get so I can tell them how bad you've been."

At this point, Max broke down, dropping to his knees at May's feet.

"No! Please, forgive me! I swear I won't annoy you! Please don't send me back and please don't tell our parents!" Max begged, tugging May's arm.

May paused for a bit, making it seem like she was contemplating, causing Max to have anxiety.

"Well, because I'm such a nice sister to you, I'll let you stay." May said, snickering.

Max let out a sigh of relief while Ash, Brock and Pikachu all chuckled.

* * *

After snuggling up in the comforts of Ash and claiming to be just "tired" and wanting to lean on someone, May regained her energy to continue walking, much to the groups relief. They set out, but not even a couple minutes into their journey, a certain green-haired coordinator spotted the group, specifically May, and ran towards them.

"Hey, May!" Drew called out, running from the trail behind the group.

Ash visibly tensed up at that voice while May turned around to greet her rival.

"Hey, Drew!" May waved happily. It was always nice to see the boy who had become her rival and friend, and she wondered what he was doing here.

Drew finally caught up to the group, but he had a look of concern on his face.

"May, why are you here? You told me that you would be able to travel to the Johto region with me." Drew told May.

May froze. " _Oh no, I forgot to tell him that there was a change in plans!"_ She nervously thought, _"will he be fine with me going with Ash_?"

"W-well," May stuttered, "there has been a change of plans. I've decided to continue traveling with Ash." May spoke quietly.

Drew glared at the trainer with clenched fists, then turned back towards May.

"But why? We had a lot planned out for traveling and now all of a sudden you want to leave me?" Drew felt furious and miserable at the same time.

May looked down at the ground. " _I...I hadn't thought about him at all, and now it feels like I'm betraying one of my closest friends._ " May felt a surge of guilt in herself, unable to look back at Drew.

"Drew, I'm so sorry. I really am. I was self-centered and hadn't thought about how I would end up hurting you." May confessed, still unable to look at her rival in the eyes.

Drew took a deep breath. It wasn't so much that he was upset about May forgetting to tell him about a change in plans, it was the fact that she would be willing to leave him for " _Ash_." Drew grumbled silently, digging his nails into his palms. Drew did not think too highly of the trainer, but he was especially disturbed that May was visibly and noticeably taking a liking to the dense boy instead of himself. It did not make sense to him as he thought that he himself was the epitome of an ideal boyfriend, someone who could drive any girl crazy just to be with him; instead, May was seemingly falling for the naive Pallet Town boy.

"Drew?"

The male coordinator shook his head to clear his mind and focused on the brunette in front of him.

"You're not mad at me, are you?" May's voice was shaky from unsureness.

Drew quickly regained his composure and gave May his signature arrogant smile.

"Of course not. How can I ever get mad at you?" Drew flicked his hair. "In fact, I think I might just join you on your journey. What do you say?"

Spontaneously, he pulled out a rose from his jacket and offered it to May, who blushed when she received it. Upon watching Drew giving May the rose and seeing her blush, Ash felt this feeling of pain that he never experienced before. Sure he had seen Drew offer May roses numerous times before, but this time, it felt different; it felt like a statement indicating that Drew was giving it his all to win May's heart.

Brock sensed Ash's tension and only grew a concerned look on his face; he knew that Drew posed as a massive problem for Ash since the trainer felt that Drew only meant trouble for May, so he could only hope for the best for his long-time traveling companion.

May looked up at Drew and smiled.

"Sure you can come, it'll be great to have another friend come along on this journey!" May could not hold her excitement.

Drew smirked and looked at Ash to see his reaction. Ash simply glared back, then turned around to continue on the path to the beach ahead of everyone else.

"Hey, Ash, wait up!" May called out as Ash quickened his pace.

Pikachu, who was on Ash's shoulder, could only look at his best pal with concern.

"Pika Pi?"

"I'm just fine, Pikachu." Ash unnaturally snarled at his Pokemon, who appeared shocked at his behavior.

"Pika Pikachu!" Pikachu waved his arms around trying to talk some sense into his friend.

Ash stopped, taking in the words from Pikachu. He sighed, then turned to look at his partner.

"You're right, Pikachu. I'm sorry for how I've been acting. I just couldn't help but feel anger and jealousy after what just happened."

Pikachu patted Ash on the head as if to comfort him. Ash chuckled and petted Pikachu on the head.

"Thanks, buddy."

Ash heard footsteps coming from behind and saw his friends and the green-haired coordinator rushing to catch up with him. Brock and Max had faces of concern while May expressed sadness and confusion on her face. As for Drew, he seemed emotionless and uninterested.

"Ash, what's going on?" Brock asked, even though he suspected the reason to Ash's behavior was because of Drew.

"Ash, is there something wrong?" May caught up to the boy and took Ash's arms in hers as if to comfort the trainer.

Ash felt the same mysterious heart-warming feeling again as he felt May's smooth, delicate arms wrapped around his.

" _What...is this feeling?_ " He wondered," _why does this always happen when I'm with May?_ "

Ash felt a tug at his arm and saw May's ever increasing worry in her eyes.

"Ash?" She asked.

"There...there isn't a problem at all." Ash lied, faking a smile.

Everyone suspected there was something more to Ash's behavior, so May inched closer to the trainer and tried to comfort him.

"Ash, if there is any problem at all, you know you can tell us." She said, rubbing his arm as reassurance. Drew happened to catch sight of this action and growled under his breath.

Ash looked at May with the best reassuring smile he could make.

"I know, don't worry about me."

May sighed and figured it was better to drop the subject since she knew that Ash was not comfortable about something.

"Alright then."

"Well, I guess we should continue to hit the road, huh."

The group agreed and they continued walking. As Ash led everyone with Max and Drew behind him, May decided to hang back behind the others with Brock.

"Hey, Brock?" May said quietly as to not alert the others of the conversation, "I'm worried about Ash, he doesn't seem to be his normal self."

Brock looked up ahead at the boy with the Pikachu on his shoulder; he appeared to be sulking as he walked.

"Yeah, I'm worried about him too. He seems to be really bothered by something...or someone." The breeder said.

May looked at her friend with confusion.

"Some...one?" She asked.

Brock nodded.

"But who could he be bothered by?" May was nervous to hear the answer.

Brock could only take a deep breath; It wasn't going to be easy for him to tell her that Ash was agitated by the very boy May accepted into the group for the trip earlier on.

"Well, it's not gonna be easy for you to hear this, but right after Drew came, he seemed to be really tense, and after you accepted Drew's self-invitation to join us, Ash was clearly upset. It appears that Drew is the cause of Ash's behavior."

May paused for a bit, trying to process the information; she felt like a wreck for causing such tension among the group, especially to the trainer she fell for.

" _Oh no, is this my doing?_ " She wondered, " _I caused this mess, and I'm pretty sure Ash is really upset with me right now for letting Drew come along. But...what could I do? I basically left Drew behind without warning and I couldn't say no to him._ "

May was feeling an extensive amount of stress and was on the brink of tears; she did not any hatred to spew among Ash and Drew, the two people she grew fond of.

"Brock, why would he be upset about Drew?" She asked out of confusion.

Brock thought for a bit. All the comments Ash had made to Brock about Drew on the night of the hotel stay flowed through his mind. He knew he couldn't bring himself to tell her the truth, so he decided to let May find out for herself.

"I don't know, May, but right now, the important thing is for Ash to feel better," Brock turned to look at May in the eyes, "Right now, he can really use some comfort."

May nodded, then rushed ahead next to Ash. With her mentor and closest friend feeling down, May knew she had to do everything in her power to help him out.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

* * *

"Ash, please don't be like this. You're being irrational! You really need to rest."

It was now night time on the edge of a beautiful lake. Trees lined up further away from the clearing, and everyone, except for Ash, wanted to set up camp. The raven-haired boy wanted to cover as much ground as possible and also wanted to get away from the others, specifically Drew, to clear his mind of what he had experienced prior to this point. Along the way to the lake, Drew had tried to pull May away from Ash multiple times as attempts to start conversations that interested her. All these instances only served to anger Ash as he became increasingly stressed and unhappy. Now, at the lake, May was desperately trying to convince Ash to stay, so Ash decided to give in.

"Fine, but I'm going to sleep by the trees." Ash stated as he walked away from the camp that was situated by the water. Ash settled down by the dim woods as Pikachu tried to cheer him up.

May had her arm extended as if wanting to hold onto Ash, then retracted her arm and looked down at the ground in sadness. Drew took the opportunity to wrap an arm around May and walked her away from where Ash had left her.

"Hey, don't worry about him, ok? He isn't worth the time since he's stubborn beyond belief." Drew said, trying to press his body closer to May's. "Instead, how about if we go for a walk? It'll make you feel better."

May turned to Drew, contemplating. The words of Brock flooded her mind as she took to the idea that Ash was specifically acting this way because of the green-haired coordinator.

"I don't know, Drew. I appreciate the offer, but right now, I really don't feel comfortable with leaving Ash." May said, then looked back at Ash sitting on the ground with his knees in his arms, facing away from the others. "I have to look after him. He means a lot to me."

May left Drew's grasp and ran over to the trainer. Drew looked bewildered, then scowled.

"Ketchum," he muttered under his breath, quiet enough so no one could hear him, "you will not take May away from me. I swear to it."

Drew silently fumed as he went to sit near Max by the campfire to wait for Brock to finish making dinner. By the trees, Ash was staring at the ground in deep thought while Pikachu was patting him on the back.

Suddenly, Ash snapped back to reality when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to the sight of an emotionally distressed May.

"Ash, do you mind if I sit here for a bit?" She asked.

Ash shook his head, then looked back at the ground. May sat down next to Ash and looked at the dirt as well. Pikachu figured the two of them needed some time alone, so he left to hangout by the others. For a long time, no one moved or talked between the two as they sat; the sounds of nature were the only things that resonated. Finally, May looked at Ash.

"Ash, I'm scared of what's been happening." She said worriedly.

Ash glanced at May, wondering what she meant.

"Ever since Drew came along, you became so isolated and unhappy, and it hurts me to see you like this," May continued, her eyes getting wet, "please don't be like this, I want to have my normal Ash back again."

Ash could only stare at May as she kept talking to him.

"I know you're bothered by Drew, but please don't act this way, we can sort this out." May placed her hand on top of Ash's, "Please, Ash, you mean a lot to me."

Ash paused for a moment, processing the words in his mind.

"May, I...I didn't mean to hurt you," Ash began, "I'm so sorry for acting this way and I promise to lift my spirits and even get along with Drew."

Ash gulped at his last statement, but knew he couldn't take it back.

"You...you really mean it?" May's eyes filled with hope.

"Yes, but only if you'll be happy."

May couldn't help but lean her body towards Ash to pull him in for a hug. Even though she wanted to ask Ash why he was upset with Drew, she was perfectly content with the raven-haired boy's promises to improve his mental health and relationship with Drew.

Ash was surprised by the hug, but immediately melted into the coordinator's touch as he felt free from all pain and stress. He was disappointed though, when May broke the contact after awhile.

"Would you like to go back to where the others are, with me?" May asked, still seated next to the boy.

"Sure," Ash nodded, "but I think I'd still rather sleep here for the night to clear my thoughts."

May nodded back, then got up with Ash and walked back to the campsite. By the time the two sat down next to Max and Drew, Brock had conveniently finished cooking and had started handing out bowls, serving everyone their dishes.

"Hey, Ash, glad to see you're looking better. Was it all because of May?" Brock asked as he passed Ash his bowl of food.

"Yeah," Ash nodded as he graciously accepted the bowl, "she managed to get through my thick skull and got me to feel better."

"Huh, I wonder how my sister can ever be reassuring to others," Max pushed up his glasses, "especially when she's always condescending towards me."

May shot up from where she was standing and glared at her brother with an accusing finger.

"Hey! I'm never that bad with you! You're always exaggerating the facts when all I'm doing is putting you in your place!" May shouted.

Max merely chuckled and was about to continue berating her until he saw Ash wave him off.

"Max, there is no need to annoy your sister. She may not be that helpful in your eyes, but to me, I see her as someone who is selfless and genuinely caring no matter what, and I am thankful to have her as my friend." The trainer smiled at May, who couldn't help but blush at his comment and passion.

Brock, Max and Pikachu stared at Ash, flabbergasted, the three of them not expecting Ash to immediately jump to May's defense in that manner. Drew grunted, but no one noticed.

"Wow, I didn't know you felt that strong for her, even though you should have known that I was simply joking around by saying she wasn't caring when she actually is." Max said.

Ash's face reddened as he tried to hide himself from embarrassment for not knowing that Max was simply teasing May just for the sake of it.

May giggled and leaned against the trainer with her head resting on his shoulder.

"Oh, Ash, I feel humbled to hear those words coming from you. You're the best a person could ever hope for." May said with a dreamy voice to embarrass Ash even further.

"Guuuys," Ash complained, "let's just eat and not continue this conversation."

Brock, May and Max laughed at Ash's remark and agreed, continuing to eat. The whole time, Drew felt anger fueling up in his chest as he tried to forget May's clinginess towards Ash. Pikachu wasn't paying much attention during the conversation since he was focused on his own food.

While everyone was eating, Ash couldn't help but steal glances at May, who was sitting next to him. Even though he had tried to suppress the urge, he felt too compelled by May and had to look. Immediately, he felt a wave of happiness as he saw May's content face as she cheerfully ate.

" _Why do I feel this way?_ " Ash wondered as the warm feeling in his heart arose again, " _I can't stop thinking about her; it's like I can't live without her at all." Ash sighed. "I really need to ask Brock about this stuff as_ _soon as I get the chance to._ "

At the same time, May felt compelled to steal looks at Ash, since he was all that was in her mind. She turned her head in the slightest way so she could gaze at Ash without alerting the others. When she laid her eyes on the trainer, she caught Ash staring at her, which the boy then blushed profusely with his eyes wide opened and immediately turned to look back at his food. May giggled and blushed as well, and before she knew it, she was dreaming about the boy of her dreams.

* * *

 **In May's fantasy world**

It was the middle of the night in the same forest with the lake. An abundance of shining stars filled the sky, and Ash and May were both sitting next to the body of water while star gazing. May had her body leaned up against Ash and had her head resting on Ash's shoulder. Ash had wrapped an arm around May's waist and laid his head on hers.

Suddenly, the two found themselves in the water, playfully splashing each other. They laughed together as they shared this moment of pleasure. Ash was closing in on May and had picked her up and tackled her into the water. After they emerged from the water, they found themselves in one another's arms, grasping each other's backs as they kissed. The water kept dripping from their hair and they were still completely drenched, but none of that mattered to them as they continued to share each other's embrace. Finally, they stepped out of the water, holding hands, and walked back to where they had set up camp.

May told Ash not to look when she was changing into dry clothes, but she didn't keep to her own words. After she had changed, she watched Ash change behind a tree. Unbeknownst to the raven-haired boy, May was mentally praising and worshipping his toned body and she couldn't help but squeal from delight. Ash heard this and looked embarrassed seeing May. She could only giggle and turned back to where the sleeping bags were.

Seconds later, Ash returned and got into his sleeping bag. Naturally, May wanted to be as close as possible to Ash, so she got him to make space on his conveniently large sleeping bag and laid down with him. May pulled close to Ash and had an arm and her head resting on Ash's chest. Ash instinctively lowered his arms around her waist, pulling her up close. As May began dozing off, Ash kissed May on the head, then fell asleep in the comforts of the brunette.

* * *

May was smiling dreamily, not noticing that Ash, Brock, Drew, Max, and Pikachu were all staring at her.

"Umm, is she alright?" Ash asked no one in particular.

"Yeah, what's going on with her? She isn't normally like this, right?" Drew wondered.

"Well, she's been acting rather strangely recently, so who knows? She could be thinking about something...or rather someone who means a lot to her." Brock said. In actuality, he knew May was dreaming about Ash and he wanted to give Ash something to think about in hopes of bringing him and May together.

"...someone...who means a lot to her?" Ash wondered. Instantly, he remembered his conversation with May by the woods. Her hand had been on his, and she had said, " _please, Ash, you mean a lot to me._ " What did all this mean? Why would May dream about him? Ash grew frustrated by all these questions he didn't know the answer to. He felt confused about his feelings for May, and now he was even more confused as to why May would be thinking about him in this fashion. Yet, all he knew was that it felt good to have her think about him and only him.

Drew thought about what Brock said. " _Someone who means a lot to her._ " He repeated in his mind. He shot a glance at Ash, whose eyes were still fixated on May. " _She can't be thinking about him, right? He's too dense for her. It would only make sense for May to think about me._ " Drew smirked. " _Yeah, that's it. She's dreaming about me because no one else is as good as me, especially not Ketchum._ " But then, he remembered what May had said to him about Ash. " _He means a lot to me._ " She had said. Drew gripped his bowl and utensils harder. "Ketchum..." He muttered quietly to himself.

Meanwhile, Max knew all too well that May was dreaming about Ash. He just simply sighed and continued to eat. Pikachu would constantly look between May and his best friend and figured that May had a thing for the trainer.

" _Pi pikachu pika,_ " the Pokemon grinned, devising a plan, " _pika pikapi._ "

Pikachu swore that he would have a talk with May the first chance he gets to confirm his theory, especially considering what he witnessed in the hotel room. If what he thought was true, and although he was not quite familiar with the human concept, he would do everything he could to unite his trainer and May under new circumstances, or simply, a romantic relationship.

* * *

The gang finished their dinner and decided to hang back and relax for the time being. After assisting Brock in cleaning up the silverware, Ash decided it was time to tell Brock about what had been going on with himself.

"Hey, Brock, do you wanna go for a walk with me?" The trainer asked.

Brock sensed that Ash wanted to get something off of his chest about something important, so he nodded. They told everyone else they would be leaving for a bit, and with that, they left.

Pikachu figured it was time to have the talk with May, so he hopped onto her shoulder and pointed towards the woods to talk.

"Pika!" He smirked, giving the message to May that it was finally time.

May gulped, sweating.

"D-do we have to go n-now?" She stammered.

Pikachu nodded, sparking around the cheeks.

May sighed and walked away from the camp after telling Max and Drew that she was "getting some fresh air."

The two boys just shrugged, not knowing what May and Pikachu were doing.

* * *

"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" Brock asked, "I know there's more than just 'wanting to go for a walk.'"

After walking just far enough to still be able to see the campfire, Ash turned to Brock.

"Hey, umm, I really need your help on something," Ash said, "I don't know how to put this, but...lately, I've been feeling something weird in my chest whenever I'm around May..."

Brock remained silent, so Ash continued.

"Like, this first happened during the night in our hotel room. I heard May compliment me when I was trying to sleep, and I could feel her breath on my cheek at one point. That's when I felt that weird feeling. And whenever we embraced each other, that feeling came back again, but only stronger. And for some reason, I couldn't help but stare at May during dinner tonight. It's like I couldn't control myself." He confessed.

Brock processed the information.

"How do you feel whenever you're with her?" Brock asked.

"Well, whenever we interacted, I'd feel so...happy...and I'd feel relieved of all stress. I don't know why, though. Do you know what all this means?"

Brock nodded. What Ash just confessed only connected the points to Ash's disdain for Drew. " _It appears_ _that Ash is finally experiencing love._ " He thought. " _Although it's going be quite difficult to explain the_ _concept to him._ "

Brock walked up to Ash and patted the trainer's shoulder.

"Well, Ash, I am fairly certain that you are experiencing the concept of love." He smiled.

Ash furrowed his brow.

"Love? What do you mean?" The raven-haired boy asked.

Brock sighed at Ash's denseness.

"Look, it's basically like whenever I'm chasing after any cute girl I come across, except what you are experiencing is much more serious. I don't really know how to explain it to you, so I'll let you figure it out. If you continue to experience that feeling around May, talk to me so I can help you.

Ash nodded but was still confused. " _Love? I'm in...love? Sure, I love all my friends and my family, but...am_ _I really experiencing THAT kind of love? Is this how it feels?_ " Ash slumped his shoulders. " _Augh_ , _this is hurting my brain even more. I'll figure this out later._ "

"Wanna go back now?" Brock asked.

Ash nodded, and the two walked back towards the campsite.

* * *

May walked deeper into the woods with Pikachu on her shoulder. She felt anxious as sweat dripped down her face.

"So, great weather, huh." May smiled nervously, hoping to avoid the impending conversation.

"Pika." Pikachu smirked devilishly. After getting a good distance away from the others, Pikachu decided it was now time.

"Pi pika Pikachu pika pi."

"Umm, w-what are you talking about?" May smiled sheepishly.

Pikachu sparked again around the cheeks, frightening May.

"Alright, alright. I'll tell you now." May gulped. "Just promise me you won't tell anyone."

Pikachu raised his paw and pretended to zip his mouth. May could only sigh and took a deep breath.

"Alright, well here goes," she began, "I...I am in l-love with...Ash."

Pikachu grinned. His theory was confirmed, but he motioned for May to continue.

"It used to start out as a silly, childish crush when I first met him, but after traveling with him for awhile, I became really attracted to him. During the Millenium Comet, when we were with Jirachi, I'd always wish to be with Ash every night when I'd flip a panel from the Wish Maker charm I bought. And when we were at the the royal ball in Cameron Palace, I'd wish to dance with him. Unfortunately he wasn't allowed to dance, so I felt somewhat incomplete. And my feelings for him solidified when Samiya was sinking. When water was pouring in around us, and after Ash put us into the pod, I was devastated."

May began tearing up as she recalled the event.

"I...I was so...terrified when he left. I was so afraid that he wouldn't make it back, that he'd...die." May broke down, crying. She dropped to the ground, not bothering to wipe her tears.

Immediately, Pikachu felt sympathetic towards the brunette. Even though he had been terrified for his trainer while in the pod with May, he didn't realize just how much Ash had meant to her.

"Pikapi." Pikachu patted May on the head to comfort her.

After minutes of battling her emotions over the memory, May finally wiped her tears.

"Well, all that is in the past now, and fortunately, Ash managed to make it out alive." May couldn't help but smile. "That was when I knew for sure that Ash was the one for me."

Pikachu smiled as well, happy to see May's spirit back again.

"Oh, and Pikachu? To answer your question from when we were in the hotel, I reacted that way because I was afraid that he would question me and suspect me of something. It's a good thing he didn't because then I can express my feelings for him how I want."

Pikachu nodded, understanding the situation. Satisfied with their conversation, Pikachu pointed towards where the camp was, indicating that they should go back.

May nodded, and the two headed towards the campsite.

* * *

It was getting late for the group, so they all decided to turn in for the night.

"Goodnight, guys, I'll see you all bright and early tomorrow." Ash said as he walked towards the trees to where his sleeping bag was.

"Wait, Ash!" May called out.

Ash turned around to see May carrying her sleeping bag.

"I'm coming with you." She stated.

Ash smiled and nodded. The two walked towards Ash's gear and settled down. May put her sleeping bag directly next to Ash's, much to his curiosity.

"Umm, May, why are you putting your sleeping bag right next to mine?" He asked.

May giggled and hopped into her bag.

"To sleep next to you, silly." May replied.

Ash raised an eyebrow.

"Look, I'm sleeping next to you whether you like it or not because you need some comfort." She persisted.

Ash brightened up internally after hearing this.

"Alright, thanks for looking out for me." He smiled. Ash slipped into his sleeping bag, facing May. "Goodnight, May." He yawned.

"Goodnight, Ash." May smiled.

Before he knew it, Ash's eyelids closed due to drowsiness. After making sure he was asleep, May pulled closer to Ash and kissed him on the cheek.

"Sweet dreams." She whispered.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note**

 **Thanks for all the reviews so far, they really motivate me to continue writing! So please keep reviewing! That said, I'm being hit with a lot of school work and extracurricular activities. Hopefully, they don't hinder my writing schedule.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon**

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

Ash found himself standing on a dirt path with nothing but grass around him. He turned to look up ahead to where the path would lead and walked a bit before he noticed that the ground was becoming sand. He looked around and saw palm trees lining up just ahead of him, and even further out was a magnificent blue ocean. Ash tilted his head upward to see the bright, yellow sun in the middle of the cloudless sky. It was perfectly quiet here, except for the soothing sounds of the waves washing up against the beach shore.

" _Ahhh_ ," Ash breathed, " _it's absolutely peaceful here. I could get used to a spot like this._ "

Ash inspected the area around him. No one was there, only himself.

" _It's nice to finally visit an uncrowded beach, although, I feel like something is missing._ " Ash sighed, suddenly becoming depressed. " _Why do I feel so...alone...and so...empty? This doesn't feel right. It's like I missing a certain something...or someone. But who?_ "

Just then, he heard a familiar voice calling out to him from behind. Immediately, he felt a wave of relief and happiness fill the empty void in his chest as he knew who the voice belonged to.

" _May_." Ash smiled. He turned around to the sight of May in a silk white dress running towards him.

"Ash!" She exclaimed. She leapt onto Ash as he caught her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He held her up and spun her around, laughing gleefully along with May. He didn't quite know why he felt compelled to do that, but all he knew was that it just felt so right for him.

Finally, Ash set her down. His arms were still around her waist as May wrapped her arms around the back of his neck. She leaned towards him and laid her head against his chest as she closed her eyes, feeling absolutely content. Ash smiled, feeling completely comfortable being with the brunette.

After a minute of staying in that position, May lifted her head to look at Ash as they still embraced each other. They couldn't stop looking at each other as they felt as if they were experiencing exuberance like never before.

"Ash?" May finally broke the silence.

"Yeah, May?" Ash gave her his heart-warming smile.

May blushed, saying, "I don't ever want us to leave each other...I don't want us to lose this bond."

Ash's heart felt so at peace after hearing these words and repositioned his hand so it was cupping May's cheek.

"I will never leave you, as long as you promise that you will never leave me." He said.

May nodded.

"I promise." She winked.

The two smiled at each other before May laid her head against Ash's chest again, leaving Ash in a state of bliss.

* * *

May woke up on her side, facing the lake, to find the sun creeping up over the horizon. The area was illuminated by the orange sunlight, and she could see that Brock, Max and Drew were all still asleep by the body of water.

Suddenly, she became aware that someone's arms were wrapped around her waist from behind. She looked over her side and saw that Ash had his arms around her. She blushed at the contact and could see that the boy was still asleep in his sleeping bag, which somehow got so close to hers to the point that his chest was pressed up against her back.

Ash mumbled in his sleep, alerting May. His words were not quite distinct, until four words escaped his mouth.

"...May, ...don't...leave...me..." He mumbled in his slumber, still dreaming about the brunette.

May's eyes widened, not expecting to hear her name coming from the trainer while he was asleep.

" _Did...did he just say...what I thought he said?_ " May wondered, her heart racing.

Just then, Ash pulled her waist towards his even more and had his head nestled up against the back of May's head. As the trainer snuggled up against her more, May became flushed.

" _I don't want this to ever end._ " She thought to herself. " _I feel so warm and safe in his arms._ "

After what felt like a couple hours in this position, May heard the sound of a sleeping bag being folded up and saw that Brock was now awake. The moment he turned in her direction, May quickly shut her eyes to appear asleep, as if she did not know that Ash was holding her closely. She could hear chuckling and then silence. The silence kept up and raised May's curiousness. She opened her eyelids to see if Brock was gone, only to see that he was up close, grinning at her. May reddened and smiled sheepishly.

"Good morning, May," Brock said quietly to avoid waking up Ash, "did you sleep well?"

May nervously nodded.

"Any good dreams?"

"Y-yeah..." She replied, remembering her dream. In her dream, she and Ash were sitting atop a hill that overlooked a vast, beautiful city. Often times, they would find themselves cuddling with each other and expressing various forms of love.

"May I take a wild guess and say that you were dreaming about a certain trainer with a Pikachu?" Brock asked, glancing at the sleeping Pokemon next to Ash.

May felt herself turn a darker shade of red as she stammered, "u-u-umm, n-no?"

Brock saw right through her lie, grinning even more.

"Say, I just have the feeling that you were sleeping well because of Ash over here." He teased. "After all, you seem to be perfectly content in his arms. Just a feeling."

May would have blushed even more, but her face was already red from embarrassment.

"I-I d-" She began before being interrupted.

"Hey, there's absolutely no need to be ashamed. He's a good guy. I think he'd like being with you." Brock smiled, then turned around, facing his equipment by the still-sleeping forms of Max and Drew. "Well, gotta prepare breakfast now."

May was left with the connotation that Brock supported the idea of Ash and herself being together, as in "more than just friends." Somehow, she felt more reassured, since Brock had said he felt that Ash would enjoy her company. Unbeknownst to May, Brock was trying to hint that Ash held incredible feelings for her; if she gained the confidence and courage knowing that Ash would return those feelings of love, then the two would embark on an amazing journey together with an ever-stronger relationship.

After a few more minutes, Max woke up, quickly followed by Drew. Max turned to enjoy the scenery around him before he laid eyes on the trainer and his sister. His eyes were wide opened and his mouth was agape from shock. Drew noticed Max's strange reaction and turned towards where Max was staring to see what was happening. Immediately, he clenched his fists and mentally cursed the raven-haired boy. He quickly shot up out of his sleeping bag and marched away from the lake to calm himself.

"Ketchum...I will get you for this." Drew muttered as he walked.

Max continued to gape at what he considered an awkward sight of his sister and his close friend before he shook his head. He then smirked, intending to tease Ash and his sister.

Max snickered as he walked right up to where Ash, Pikachu and his sister were. Noticing that May was preoccupied with her thoughts, he decided to wake up Pikachu. Before he could, he felt someone's hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, Max, do you mind helping me out for breakfast?" Immediately, Max knew it was Brock and sighed. He figured that Brock knew he was about to cause trouble for his sister and only wanted to prevent him from doing so.

"But...right now is the perfect chance to embarrass my sister." He pleaded, turning to Brock in hopes of being able to execute his plan.

Brock shook his head.

"Max, there's no need for that," he said, "besides, I guarantee that the moment Ash wakes up, they'll find themselves in an extremely awkward and embarrassing situation."

Max looked back at the two sleeping figures. He could envision Ash waking up and becoming awkward around May for holding onto her like that. In turn, that would cause May to lose confidence in herself and make her act rather shy around Ash. Max complied with Brock, hoping that his sister would partake in a humiliating scenario. Brock led him back to where he was preparing breakfast and told him to prepare the plates.

Momentarily, Pikachu began to stir before stretching his limbs. He turned to see his best friend hugging May closely while asleep.

"Pika!" He exclaimed, bewildered by the sight. He would have expected May to do something like this to his best friend, but he never would have expected Ash to be clinging onto May in his sleep.

Pikachu hopped to May's side, finding her in a contemplative state with a dreamy look.

"Pi!" He shook the brunette, alarming her.

"Oh, hey, Pikachu!" She smiled, snapping out of her daydream.

"Pika pika?" He pointed to Ash's arms around May's waist, wondering what was going on.

"Oh, about that, I honestly don't know how or why this happened...although I can't deny that I really like it..." She smiled at the thought as she dazed off. She immediately brought herself back to her senses when she saw Pikachu hop around her to Ash's head and had begun shaking him.

"Pikachu, what are you doing?!" She asked in a hushed voice, concerned that her time in Ash's arms would be over soon.

Pikachu only grinned and continued to shake Ash.

"Mmmm...five more minutes, mom." The trainer mumbled.

Pikachu persisted, shaking Ash harder.

"Augh, what's the big idea?" Ash mumbled again, slowly opening his eyes. Once his eyes adjusted to the sunlight, his whole entire face became flushed after realizing what he was doing.

"Oh,...May!" He exclaimed, immediately shooting out of his sleeping bag, much to May's dismay. "Er umm, I swear, I didn't... I uh...I..."

May couldn't help but giggle as Ash hopelessly tried to formulate words.

"Hey, Ash, it's alright," May said, standing up to face the trainer, "I really didn't mind at all. In fact, I actually kinda liked it..."

May bit her tongue and mentally slapped herself.

" _What the heck was that, May?!_ " She screamed in her head, " _You don't just say that!_ " She began blushing profusely as she continued to scold herself. " _Augh, now you're just gonna make Ash question his friendship with you and ruin any possible chance of being with him_!" May was taken back by her thoughts.

" _Wait, what? Do I even want to begin a relationship?_ " She wondered. " _Well, with Ash, I certainly wouldn't mind. In fact, I think I may just be a little more than infatuated by him. But if that's the case, then I have to try my hardest and express my feelings for him soon. But only when the time is right._ "

Ash, in the meantime, was surprised that May appreciated his comfort, even when it was not intentional. This, in turn, only caused him to think back to those times he felt strong emotions for May. Coupled with the fact that May was blushing for some unknown reason to him, he found her quite adorable.

" _Is...is this what Brock told me about? Love?_ " He pondered. " _Why do I always feel so strange when I'm with May? And...why do I feel so good around her...and so...attracted by her?_ "

Ash's eyes widened.

" _That's gotta be it. I AM in love with her. After all, she's gotta be the most selfless, caring, trustful, and, all around, the most beautiful person I've ever met. Best of all, we both share a lot in common._ " Ash smiled, thinking about the brunette in front of him.

As he kept thinking about her, a negative thought crossed his mind, causing him to frown.

" _But, what if...what if she doesn't feel the same for me?_ " He panicked, " _What do I do then? What if...what if Drew steps in and takes her from me?_ "

Ash shook his head.

" _No. No need to be pessimistic. I shouldn't even think about that. All I can do is hope for the best and let things unfold naturally._ "

May noticed that something was troubling Ash. She walked forward and grasped his arm, hoping to comfort him.

"Hey, Ash?" She began, worriedly, "Is everything alright?"

Ash looked into May's sapphire eyes, feeling a wave of newfound happiness.

"Yeah, I'm fine. And I'm glad that you felt comfortable while you were asleep, especially in...my arms." Ash lowered his voice, struggling to find power to say the last part without embarrassment.

May giggled, leaving the two of them in a comfortable silence. They were staring at each other's eyes, and no matter how much they tried, they couldn't pull away from each other's gaze. May's hand was still holding onto Ash's arm, and he never wanted her to let go, wanting to keep feeling May's soft, warm, comforting touch.

Pikachu looked back and forth between the brunette and the trainer, confused as to why they fell silent and were staring at each other with warm smiles.

"...Pikachu?" The Pokemon asked to no one in particular.

Ash finally broke his gaze to face his puzzled friend.

"No, nothing is wrong with us," he explained," we were just...um...thinking, that's all."

Pikachu didn't seem to believe his trainer was telling him everything, but he decided to drop the subject.

"Pi." He responded, hopping over to where Brock and Max were to see the progress they made for breakfast.

Ash turned back to face May with a passionate smile. They didn't really know what to say as they stared at each other's eyes. As they embraced the comfortable atmosphere, May unknowingly lowered her hand and intertwined her fingers in his, much to Ash's delight. With May's touch, he felt an unmatched level of serenity and ecstasy, something he hadn't had much of with other people. To him, May was someone exceedingly special, and he never wanted to lose her. Finally, after a minute, Ash decided to break the silence.

"Sooo, we're finally gonna make it to the beach today, huh." Ash said, trying to start a conversation.

May couldn't contain her excitement as she was reminded of their trip to one of her favorite places to visit, despite whatever region it was in.

"Oh, yes yes yes!" She excitedly jumped up and down, letting go of Ash's hand, "It's gonna be so fun and we're gonna be able to do a lot of things there!"

Ash chuckled at May's childlike behavior.

"Not only that, but I'm finally gonna be able to wear my bikini again!" May exclaimed joyously. "And you're gonna get to see it and tell me how I look!"

" _Well, I certainly wouldn't mind seeing that._ " Ash thought to himself, envisioning the brunette and her rather voluptuous body in the clothing. " _Wait, what!? I didn't just think that, did I? Oh no, I'm losing myself. I'm supposed to respect her just like how she would respect me."_

"Erm, yeah, I can't wait." He stammered, trying to suppress his immature, fragile thoughts.

May didn't notice his awkward behavior and continued to ramble.

"Oh my, I can't wait for this! Oh, and if all goes well, then we can go shopping for more swim suits for me!" May proclaimed, earning a groan.

"Oh, lighten up, Ash! Shopping isn't all that bad." She sneered.

"Easy for you to say," Ash grumbled, "you just go shopping for whatever you want to buy, but I'm forced to tag along for who knows how long."

"Come on! Don't be such a downer! I promise it'll be fun!"

Ash just simply sighed and decided to give in, knowing that he was going to regret this later on and despise all stores.

"Alright, fine, I'll join you in your shopping spree." He mumbled.

May felt an enormous surge of excitement and rushed to grab Ash in her arms, bringing him into a tight, passionate hug.

"Oh, thank you, Ash!" She cried out.

" _Gee, I wonder how she becomes so energetic so quickly when it comes to stuff like this._ " Ash wondered. " _Although, I'm not really complaining right now...especially since her hug feels amazing..._ "

* * *

Drew snapped a twig and threw the remnants on the ground. He had been walking for a couple minutes and was beginning to calm himself after becoming infuriated by Ash. He turned to look back to where he walked from. Off in the distance, he could see the clearing and the lake. He could vaguely see the shape of Brock setting up a makeshift table and setting down utensils with Max's assistance, and he figured it was about time to eat.

"Augh, I hope today plays out well in my favor," Drew spoke out loud, knowing that no one was in the vicinity to listen, "hopefully I can spend some one-on-one time with May. Ketchum is too much of an interference for me. I swear, May will end up with me, not you, Ketchum."

He began walking back to the campsite, kicking dirt along the away. With every step he took, he expressed his contempt for Ash, cursing him and pledging that he himself will win May's heart instead of Ash.

As Drew walked into the clearing and toward Brock and Max, the future breeder acknowledged his presence.

"Hey, Drew. You're just in time for breakfast!" Brock spoke up, setting several bowls of stew and plates full of bacon and eggs on the table. "Do you mind calling Ash and May over to eat?"

"Er, not at all." Drew grunted in response.

As he turned away, he saw the sight of May hugging Ash, sickening his stomach.

"Damnit..." Drew muttered under his breath. "Not like this."

He took a deep breath and tried to regain composure. He walked up to the embracing pair and cleared his throat, gaining the attention of May and Ash as the brunette let go of Ash.

"Good morning, May." He smirked, his usual arrogant and overly confident voice taking effect. "It's time to eat breakfast, and someone amazing like you should come along and eat."

He offered his hand, hoping that May would accept it and walk with him. May smiled back, but much to Drew's dismay, didn't take his hand as she rushed to the table out of excitement.

"Oh, yes! I hadn't realized how hungry I was!" She exclaimed.

Ash chuckled and ran along with her as he felt the need to eat an absurd amount of food.

Drew still stood where Ash and May just were, shocked that May didn't take his hand.

" _Eh, it's not much to worry about,_ " he finally thought after shaking his head, " _she was too clearly obsessed by food to notice my offer. Actually..._ "

Drew placed his fingers on his chin, contemplating.

" _...because she is so passionate about food, I should take her out for a meal once we arrive at the boardwalk. Yeah, that'd be nice._ "

He smirked at the thought as he walked over and took his respective seat at the table.

* * *

"Come on, guys! Finish eating so we can get to the beach as soon as possible!"

Ash and May had already cleaned up their bowls and plates without any trace of food, and May was overly excited about the beach that she wanted to get there as quickly as possible.

"Sis, you know we can't eat as quickly as you guys." Max pointed out, having only finished his stew.

"Yeah, you should calm down a bit," Brock chuckled, "we'll try and finish up quickly, but we can't guarantee that we will eat at the same rate as you and Ash."

May slumped her shoulders and let out a sigh of disappointment, earning laughs from the rest of the gang.

"Lighten up, May," Ash chuckled as he wrapped an arm around May's back, "before you know it, we'll be at the beach and we will be able to do all the fun things you want to do."

May glanced at Ash with an appreciative smile, glad that Ash was always there to comfort her.

"Thanks, Ash. I guess I'm a bit too overly excited, huh."

"No kidding, sis." Max mumbled. "Sometimes, when you're all pushy and inconsiderate to others because of you're excitement, I think I'm the more mature one of us."

May shot a glare at her brother's remark, not appreciating his snobbish attitude.

"Well, I certainly could do without the sass." May shot back.

"I'm simply telling the truth from my observations," he started, "like, sometimes, you begin to act too childlike or too weird, and then you always have to have me or Ash come and talk some sense into you."

"Hey, Max, that's not true at all!" Ash exclaimed, joining the argument, "She doesn't act weird whatsoever! She's just simply excited, that's all."

While the three were engaged in the heated discussion, Brock chuckled, knowing of course that Ash would immediately jump to May's defense.

For Drew, all he wanted to do was eat in silence as all the noise began giving him a headache.

"Augh, it's too early in the morning for this much talking." He complained. "My ears certainly don't deserve this kind of abuse."

Pikachu slumped his shoulders, agreeing with the boy about the noise level.

Within minutes, Brock, Drew and Pikachu finished their breakfast, while Ash and May finally defeated Max in their argument.

"Well, Max, everyone here has finished eating except for you." May wagged her finger. "If you don't hurry up, I guess we'll leave without you."

"No, please don't! I'll finish eating, believe me!" Max pleaded as he stuffed his face.

Much to May's delight and disgust, Max practically picked up all the food remaining with his hands and began cramming it into his mouth.

"Augh, Max, did you learn about table manners?" May questioned.

Max glared at his sister.

"Hey, don't talk to me about table manners, especially considering how you stuff your face faster than I do! Plus, you were rushing me, so I had to accommodate to the new situation."

"Alright, I'm sorry. Sheesh."

Max handed Brock his bowl and plate, and after cleaning the table and silverware, they packed up and began walking away from the lake to their next destination.

While Drew wanted to walk with May, he always saw May clinging to Ash and them talking joyously about the events to come.

"Well," he mumbled, "this is gonna be a long day."

Back to where Ash and May were, the brunette stared lovingly at the trainer's face as he marched forward with her.

" _I really hope that the beach brings us a lot of fortune,_ " she thought, " _I hope that during our time there, Ash and I will become more than just friends._ "


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note**

 **Thanks for all the reviews once again, I appreciate all the comments you write! Now, I had a few questions, and I'll answer them here.**

 **How did I come up with the idea of Ash and May daydreaming about each other? Well, truthfully, I thought it would be somewhat comedic how May would fantasize about Ash, and I decided to add that in the story. At first, I wasn't planning to have these "May's fantasies" in more than one chapter, but I ended up liking the idea so much that I decided to add these as much as possible.**

 **Will there be a sequel? As of now, it is highly likely that I will make a sequel, and the reason why is in the next question.**

 **Will they travel to Sinnoh? Not in this story, because I feel that it is better to have that journey in the sequel. I just want to focus on certain themes for this particular story, and I feel that traveling to Sinnoh won't fit.**

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing, and please enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon and I never will.**

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

"Hey, I can see a small town from here!"

It had been several hours since when the gang continued their journey to the beach from the lake, and now they were walking atop a dirt trail that crossed several hills. Beyond the tallest hill was the settlement, which seemed beautiful as it blended in well with its surroundings. Everyone in the group breathed a sigh of relief as they all felt the need to sit back and relax.

"Finally, now we can rest and hopefully find a place to eat in since it's past noon." Max said, eager to rest after placing quite a bit of stress on his feet for walking a great amount of distance.

"Yeah, we certainly wouldn't want two particular people to complain about hunger anytime soon." Brock joked.

As if on cue, two, very loud and ominous rumbling noises escaped the stomachs of Ash and May, respectively. They grinned and immediately began racing towards the town in hopes of eating soon. Because of Ash's sudden change in speed, Pikachu fell off the trainer's shoulder, causing the Pokémon to growl in irritation as his best friend left him, Brock, Drew, and Max behind in the dust.

"Oh, I can't wait to eat!" Ash shouted jovially, running alongside May.

"Me too, I'm starving!" May agreed.

As the two continued to run, May thought up of a fun bet between them.

"Hey, Ash," she said, turning her head to look at him, "I bet you I can finish eating faster than you can!"

Ash smirked, enjoying the competitiveness.

"Oh yeah? What happens if I beat you?" He challenged.

"If you prove me wrong, then whenever we go out to eat, I'll give you all my dessert for the remainder of this vacation, and I won't force you to go shopping with me!"

"Sounds good," Ash nodded, "and if you win?"

May smirked.

"If I win, then you'll have to do whatever I tell you to do during our time here and at the beach!" She said.

Ash furrowed his brow. The punishment for losing to May was rather ambiguous as he didn't know what to expect. In the end, the reward of having all of May's dessert was really appealing, so he couldn't resist.

"Alright, the bet's on!" Ash said, extending his hand for May to solidify the bet.

May gladly shook his hand, then looked back at the trail as they continued to run. Before they knew it, they reached the town.

The town before them had cobble tiles as floors, and there were many tall buildings shooting straight into the sky. Off in the distance was a beautiful, marble fountain, complete with several different statues of water Pokémon spewing water. A line of different shops and restaurants aligned the sidewalks, and people and Pokémon alike were chatting and lounging around.

The artistic and captivating sign of a restaurant caught the attention of May, as she practically drooled while looking at pictures of the food the restaurant was serving in awe. She looked at the menu that was stationed just outside the entrance of the building and squealed in delight.

"Ash, Ash! We have to go here!" She exclaimed. "They have everything here, like Burgers, sushi and ramen! Plus, they have..."

May proceeded to blabber about the impressive variety of food in the menu, earning a chuckle from Ash.

"Alright alright, lets just go then, I'm pumped to eat all this food and beat you in our competition while I'm at it!" Ash spoke with a competitive tone.

"Oh, you wish you can beat me! I fully intend to make you obey every single one of my orders after I beat you!" May smirked.

"Umm, May, what kind of orders, though?" Ash asked, concerned about to what extent he had to comply to May's commands.

May simply grinned.

"You'll find out sooner or later. I just tell you to do something, and you'll have to do them without hesitation!"

Ash sighed, then was dragged tightly by the arm into the restaurant by May. Upon entering the building, the two were greeted by the host, who led them to their table for five. Momentarily, a young, attractive woman in uniform approached them.

"Good afternoon, I'll be your waitress for today!" She smiled, "May I start off with some refreshments for such a young and lovely couple?"

Ash and May blushed furiously, not expecting such a comment. They glanced at each other simultaneously before quickly turning away from embarrassment, wondering what the other was thinking.

The waitress noticed their odd behavior and became embarrassed herself, realizing that Ash and May were not engaged in a romantic relationship.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't know!" She explained. "Oh dear, I didn't mean to put you two in this situation!"

Ash smiled sheepishly.

"It's alright, Miss." He said calmly.

After resolving the situation, the waitress left and quickly returned with a few drinks before leaving again to assist other customers.

At the table, Ash and May were silent, still embarrassed about the assumption the waitress made. They couldn't bring themselves to look at each other or start a conversation, and that was killing the both of them.

Determined to end the tension, May spoke up.

"Hey, Ash?" She started.

Ash finally looked into the brunettes eyes after hearing her call his name, and immediately, he was mesmerized by those sincere, caring sapphire eyes. Just the sheer presence of her beauty and kind-heartedness managed to alleviate all awkwardness and unsureness that was boiling inside of him.

"Yeah, May?" Ash acknowledged. Now, he couldn't look away; May's elegance only rendered him incapable of doing just that.

Concurrently, May could only find herself lost in Ash's eyes. In combination with his reassuring smile and, in general, his charming face, Ash's character caused May to lose her ability to speak coherently as she was so mesmerized by the trainer.

"I...you...b-b...ri...d-do..." she began mumbling.

Since she was unable to stop herself from speaking gibberish, Ash placed a hand on May's hand, which was on the table, as a symbol of reassurance. As soon as she felt the contact, May stopped blabbering and began blushing.

"Obviously, we are struggling to get over what the waitress said, so how about we forget everything that just happened here and just continue being ourselves." Ash spoke sincerely. "After all, it wouldn't do us much good if we remained awkward with each other."

May nodded in agreement, placing her free hand on top of Ash's and firmly grasped it.

"Yeah, I can stick with that." She said, being able to speak properly again.

Once again, they fell into a peaceful atmosphere, staring straight into the depths of each other's eyes. Their hands were still holding onto each other's and they both equally enjoyed the exchange of warmth and comfort.

Brock, Drew, Max, and Pikachu all barged into the restaurant and saw Ash and May in distance. Because there were other people in the same field of view, the group could not make out that the two were holding each other's hands.

"Aha, I knew it!" Max shouted. "Of course they would choose this place to eat!"

"Well, that's because with the wide assortment of food, they wouldn't be able to resist!" Brock chuckled.

Pikachu growled and began sparking around the cheeks, seeking revenge on his best friend for neglecting him.

"Hmph, same, Pikachu." Drew muttered, wanting to put Ash back in his place, albeit for other reasons.

Pikachu quickly scurried across the floor, leaving Brock, Drew and Max to run after it. Pikachu stopped at the base of Ash's feet and intensified the electricity in its cheeks. Seeing that his best friend did not notice him, the Pokémon discharged the electricity onto him. Because Ash's hands were still connected to May's, they both felt the full effect. The two began screaming, attracting the attention of nearby customers, as well as Brock, Drew and Max, who all finally arrived at the scene.

Pikachu finally ended his act of revenge, satisfied by how he got his message across. He smirked, hopping onto the table before sticking his tongue out.

"Pikaaa." He teased.

"Ugh, Pikachu, why did you have to do that?" Ash groaned, releasing May's hand.

"I think that was what we deserved for thinking only with our stomachs and forgetting about everyone else." May suggested.

"Pika." The Pokémon nodded.

* * *

The plates and bowls were all served. While Brock, Drew, Max, and Pikachu all had a simple burger, casserole, fish, and ketchup bottle, respectfully, Ash and May each ordered an abundant amount of food for their competition. Because of their bet, they decided to order the same number of dishes and the exact same food as each other to make things fair.

"Ready?" May asked in a zealous tone.

"Only if you are." Ash smirked.

They nodded and immediately began feasting. The two were devouring their food at a rate so considerably fast, not even Brock and Max were able to remain unsurprised. Of course, as Ash and May ate, they completely ignored their table manners and made the most incredibly disgusting, repulsive, sickening noises while scarfing the food down their throats.

As May hastily consumed her meals, an idea of how to beat Ash popped into her mind, making her grin. She stopped eating and contorted her face to make the most irresistibly cutest look she could do, knowing that Ash would be confused about what was going on. Just like she expected, Ash noticed the absence of slurping and munching from across the table and looked at May to see if everything was alright, only to see the brunette fluttering her eyes and thus making him feel all fuzzy.

May noticed that Ash stopped eating and was in a trance, giving May the green light. She picked up her utensils and continued to eat at a rapid rate, while Ash, after minutes, finally regained composure, getting over the distraction, and started eating.

Brock and Max looked at each other in puzzlement, wondering what May was doing.

"What do you think that was all about?" Max whispered to Brock.

"Well," Brock stroked his chin, "I'd say that May was trying to distract Ash by pulling out a completely absurd and unexpected move in order to beat him in their little game."

Max glanced back at his sister before leaning towards Brock's ear to whisper.

"Yeah, I guess so. That, and I'm pretty sure she is trying hard to get Ash to glamor over her and win his heart. Ugh, I think all the romance movies she watches are getting to her." Max groaned.

"Yeah, probably. You're gonna have to get used to this new interaction between the two of them." Brock grinned.

Meanwhile, Drew had trouble concealing his frustrations after witnessing May seemingly flirt with Ash and had to vent his anger by gripping his utensils so hard, the marking on them imprinted onto his skin.

" _Damn, this can't be._ " He thought. " _The more she hangs out with Ketchum, the more it seems like she is falling for him. In that case, I'd better step up my game and try to limit the amount of time they spend_ _together_."

* * *

May quickly stacked her plates as she ate before finally turning to her final and most loved food: ramen. As she slurped up the noodles in the rudest way possible, she peered at Ash and saw he was quickening his pace and was about to start on his own bowl of ramen. However, that didn't concern her as she was practically finishing up due to her extreme speed. Upon finishing the last strand in her bowl, she slammed her utensils down on the table in an over-dramatic fashion and jumped out of her seat, fist pumping.

"Alright, I did it!" She exclaimed, not even considering the amount of ruckus she was causing, "I beat you, and now you lost the bet!"

Ash groaned in disappointment and measly finished his food.

"Darn, I was hoping that I could get all the dessert that we'd get in the future." He muttered, pouting as he sulked his head and shoulders.

May chuckled and reached across the table to playfully punch Ash on the shoulder.

"Aw, suck it up!" She teased, "You know, if you behave well and satisfy me when you are following my commands, I might just be lenient and share some of my dessert with you anyway."

Ash raised his head and smiled, feeling grateful for May's offer.

"Thanks, May. I just hope I don't have to do much and not too often at that." He said.

"Don't worry, I'll be as lenient as possible." May winked.

As soon as everyone finished their meals and paid, they exited the restaurant and strolled down the busy streets, passing many children who were running around and playing with their Pokémon. The group decided to spend a bit of time in the area before leaving for the beach, and, while walking by the line of stores nearby, May couldn't help but grin.

Ash, who was walking next to May, noticed her grin and saw what she was looking at.

" _Oh boy_ ," He thought, " _save me now_."

"Hey, Ash," May spoke abnormally loudly to spite the trainer, "do you wanna go shopping with me?"

Ash feverishly shook his head.

"No, I'd really rather not-" Ash caught May's death glare and decided to submit.

"Er, um, yeah, I'd...ahem...like to go." He sighed unenthusiastically.

May cheerfully squealed and tugged Ash by the arms towards a clothing store that was next to them. Pikachu ditched his trainer's shoulder and laughed as his friend was about to endure one of the most torturous things known to man.

Brock and Max shrugged, deciding to leave Ash at the mercy of May.

"Well, I guess we should just explore the rest of this place, huh." Brock suggested.

"Yeah, there's nothing else to do." Max said.

"Hey, wanna join us, Drew?" Brock asked, hoping to give Ash and May their time alone with each other and with no interference.

"Sure, it's not like there is anything in the stores that's gonna excite me." Drew crossed his arms.

With that, the three human companions and Pikachu left, wondering around.

* * *

"What do you think of this one?"

May was walking out of the fitting room in an outfit she had selected from the racks of the store and was currently modeling for Ash, who was sitting gloomily on a seat across from her.

"Yeah, it looks fine on you. Everything does." He muttered instinctively, not paying attention as he was looking down at his shoes.

May stared at Ash and dropped her smile, sensing that the trainer was feeling dejected. She walked towards him and kneeled down on one knee, going face-to-face with him. She placed her hand on his thigh to gain his attention, and Ash lifted up his head to meet her gaze.

"Ash, I'm sorry if this is boring to you." She spoke quietly. "I just thought that this would be a little bit fun."

Ash faked a smile.

"No, this is just fine. I like doing this." He said nervously.

"Ash," she shook her head, "you don't have to try and please me every time. I appreciate what you are doing, but if something is really bothering you, just tell me."

"Plus, if you are that concerned about the bet, I promise that I won't abuse my privileges and won't force you to do unreasonable things. In fact, I don't think I'll be ordering you around much anyway, because, as long as we both are having fun, then I'm happy." She smiled, squeezing Ash's thigh as comfort.

At once, Ash felt his spirits were lifted, and he couldn't help but move his own hand to grasp May's, striving to feel her soothing skin.

"Thank you. Really." He spoke sincerely. "And, to answer your question, you really do look amazing in that outfit. And, like I've said before, you look beautiful in anything you wear."

May promptly blushed, reaching new levels of redness. She had never received such compliments from the trainer before, and now, she felt so blissful and content.

" _Is...is this real life?_ " She wondered, clutching her chest with her free hand in response to such exhilaration, " _I...can't be dreaming. It would be too cruel if this weren't real._ "

At that point, all May wanted to do was smother Ash in a kiss she so desperately wanted to share with him, but she resisted, fearing that now was not the right time to express her feelings for him.

"Well, I guess I'll buy this outfit then. I'll go and change back into my clothes, then we can go explore the town." May said, standing up and walking towards the fitting room.

Momentarily, she walked with Ash to the checkout counter, and soon, the two were walking outside. May had asked Ash politely to hold her bag, so now he was in charge of that. As they walked, they came across an ice cream vendor, and they agreed to buy two cones for themselves. They didn't buy anything fancy, only a simple vanilla ice cream. They happily chatted and sat next to each other on a bench in the town square. Here, Ash and May could see patches of grass in a complex design to compliment the tile flooring, and at the center was an impressive statue of the legendary bird trio, Articuno, Moltres and Zapdos.

While Ash and May ate together, the two of them internally imagined that what they were doing was a date-like situation, much to their delight, only they believed that the other was content with the idea of hanging out as best friends.

May sighed dreamily, experiencing what she deemed to be the closest to being in a romantic relationship with Ash. She glanced at the boy next to her, seeing him cheerfully devour his ice cream cone. She smiled, and before she knew it, her mind began its magic.

* * *

 **In May's fantasy world**

In the same square in the same town, a jovial May was tugging Ash by the arms towards the bench. They sat, leaving no gap in between them as their thighs were in contact with each other. After devouring her ice cream, May playfully stole a bite from Ash's cone, causing him to fake a pout. She giggled, before she noticed that Ash was looking at her mouth.

"Umm, May?" He pointed towards her lips, "You have some ice cream there."

May innocently wiped her mouth with a napkin.

"Is it gone now?" She asked, even though she knew it was all gone.

Ash pretended to inspect her as if there was still something on her lips.

"No, still there. Here, let me help you."

Ash leaned towards May and pressed his lips against hers, filling her with ecstasy. She melted into his touch and, soon enough, their arms were around each other, desperately grasping the flesh of one another as if their life depended on it.

Once the two opened their eyes, they found themselves sitting on top of Ash's Charizard, soaring high above the sky. They were above the clouds, and, up ahead, they could see the sun setting, casting a beautiful and majestic red and orange glow onto the clouds as the sky turned dark blue. Looking down, May could make out the blue of the ocean, and she could see specks of water Pokémon beneath the clear water.

Ash was sitting behind May and had his arms wrapped firmly around her waist. His chin was resting on her shoulder, and May felt him peck her on the cheek.

May couldn't help but shift her body so she could give the trainer a proper kiss. Her hands were wrapped around Ash's abdomen, and she tilted her head so she could lose herself in Ash's lips.

Satisfied with the kiss, their lips broke apart and Ash brought the coordinator into a comforting hug, pressing her head against his chest and cupping the back of her head with his hand.

"I love you." May murmured as she began to doze off in such a peaceful setting.

Ash rubbed her back, smiling.

"I love you too."

* * *

"Umm, May?" Ash waved his hand in front of the daydreaming coordinator.

Ash had finished his ice cream and was waiting for May to finish up so they could join up with Brock and the others. While May was busy fantasizing, her ice cream began melting and was dripping onto her hands.

"Oh, geez, hold on." He said, even though May wasn't paying attention.

He reached into his pockets and pulled out a few napkins that he had gotten from the ice cream vendor, took and held May's ice cream, and began cleaning and drying off her hands.

May suddenly came back to reality upon feeling the contact of the napkin rubbing her skin and reddened in embarrassment.

"Oh, um, s-sorry!" She spoke timidly. "I-I'm so clumsy that you have to do this!"

She took the napkin from Ash's hand to clean herself off, then took back and finished her ice cream.

"Tha-thanks, for doing that for me." May blushed, smiling at the trainer.

"It's really no problem at all." Ash returned the smile.

The comfortable silence took over again, and, while they sat, May sneakily began scooting towards Ash, little by little, so she could be as close to him as possible. Eventually, they were sitting mere centimeters apart. As May was about to rack up the courage to lean and rest against the trainer with her head on his shoulder, their three other human companions and Pikachu came into view as they were walking into the square.

"Oh, hey, it's them!" Ash stood up, much to May's sadness as she missed her opportunity. "Lets go! It's time to hit the road!"

He grabbed May's hand and began pulling her toward where the others were. Even though she wanted to stay on the bench with Ash a little longer, she still felt content with the way he held onto her hand. Unfortunately for her, once they met up with Brock, Drew, Max, and Pikachu, Ash let go of her hand.

"So, how was shopping with my sister, Ash? It must have been a real drag, considering how long it takes for her to shop every time." Max teased, pushing up his glasses, then pointed at the bag Ash was carrying, "Plus, it must be degrading having to be her shopping cart."

Ash smiled, confusing Max.

"Well," the trainer began, "even though it wasn't the most exciting thing in the world, I still had a blast, especially since May and I got along really well and got ice cream afterward."

Brock grinned, seeing the progress Ash and May were making to expressing their feelings for each other.

Drew coughed abnormally loud, gaining the attention of everyone.

"Er, how about we go hit the road? I've just about had it with this place." The green-haired coordinator suggested, wanting to switch topics and not wanting to think about Ash and May's growing relationship.

"Yeah, that sounds nice. I wanna get to the beach as soon as possible!" May cheered.

She instantly started running towards the exit of the town, causing the others to chase after her.

"May, wait up!" The boys all shouted.

"Pika!" Pikachu shook his head in disbelief of May's running off as he chased after her along with his friends.

May continued to run gleefully, not paying attention to the cries of her companions behind her.

" _This is it._ " She thought. " _At the beach, at some point in time, I'm going to tell Ash how I feel; I just can't wait any longer._ "


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello, everyone! Thanks for all the reviews and support! I can't put into words just how humbling and heart-warming it is for me!**

 **Now, there was a question about if I do write a sequel that takes place in Sinnoh, if Dawn would be in it, and all I can say is, yes. The more, the merrier, right?**

 **Now, I have some questions for you, the reader. Do you feel that having "Ash/May fantasies" every chapter would be excessive? Should I limit myself on how much I write those? Also, it would be nice if you guys could provide suggestions for the next fantasy section. Of course, I'll give you credit for the idea, but don't expect that I will pick yours specifically every time. So sorry in advance if I don't pick your idea. I intend to incorporate the reader's ideas every few chapters, so I'll still write some of my own ideas.**

 **Alright, enough about that. Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.**

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

For May, the excitement she was feeling was insurmountable and incomparable. She was walking along with Ash-no, rather dragging him along, hand-in-hand, as she had finally spotted the shapes of palm trees, the blue of the ocean, and a rather impressive beach-side hotel.

May quickened her pace, causing Ash and Pikachu to nearly stumble and fall, while Brock, Max, and a very agitated Drew were all in close pursuit.

May and Ash arrived at the front entrance of their hotel, out of breath. Upon closer inspection of the building, they saw that the exterior had many large balconies that provided tourists an excellent view of the ocean, as well as the long, bustling boardwalk. The hotel also had many levels, so the building surely had many different rooms and activities to participate in.

"Alright!" May jumped up and down, squealing, "Lets check in quickly so we can go to the beach and the boardwalk!"

"W-wait! We still have to wait for-" Ash began, but May didn't pay attention and immediately dragged him inside.

The interior was elegant and eye-opening. Upon walking inside, Ash and May found themselves to be walking on white, marble tiles, and there were many luxurious sofas neatly situated by the side. A majestic chandelier greeted them from above, and there were a few plants that were stationed around the lobby to give off a humble but exotic look.

The coordinator and trainer heard the sound of the automatic front door opening, and they saw their companions run through.

"Geez, May, you really have to slow down!" Brock panted as he jogged up to her. "Look at Ash, he must be exhausted after being dragged against his will!"

May sheepishly rubbed the back of her head.

"Sorry, guys. You all know how excited I am about this." She reasoned.

"So enough about that," Max spoke up, "how are we gonna split up rooms, especially since we have five people now?"

Drew stepped forward, smirking.

"Personally, I think it's better that May and I share a room together. Coordinators do have to stick together, plus, she can always get tips from a master." He said, pointing to himself as he said the last part.

Ash clenched his fists, glaring across at the green-haired coordinator. May noticed his demeanor and wanted to comfort him.

"May, what do you think?" Brock asked in regard to Drew's proposition. He knew that, since she and Ash shared strong feelings for each other, May would reject Drew's idea, sparking confidence for Ash.

"Well, Drew," she looked at him with saddened eyes; rejecting people was always something she hated to do," I don't think that I can follow through with that. I'm sorry, but I think it's better that Ash and I shared a room."

Drew was shocked. He had never felt so angry, so hurt, so confused before.

"What for?!" He asked in a rather demanding way.

"Because I love him and we need each other." She thought to herself. "And I can't risk Ash and Drew sleeping in the same room because they might just slaughter each other, but I don't know why."

"Well..." She looked at the ground. "I-"

"Can we just check in and go? Brock, Drew and I will share a room and Ash and May will share the other one. I'm getting really tired of hearing all this drama." Max blurted out, wanting to end the unnecessary debate but also assist his sister for once in her predicament.

"Yeah, I'm getting tired as well. I just want to go to my room and then swoon over all the beautiful women here." Brock said, knowing that he and Max wanted to make things easy for May.

May smiled and acknowledged the help she was receiving. She mouthed the word "thanks" and got nods from her brother and close friend.

"Well, that settles that then." Ash smiled, thankful that May rejected Drew's offer. "Now, let's get our rooms and go to the beach."

As Ash walked walked up to the front counter with Brock, he could see an extremely unstable Drew grinding his teeth at him with his hands pulling on his green hair. Soon enough, the keys to their rooms were presented to Ash and Brock, and they discovered that their rooms were located on the top floor, right next to each other.

The group walked to where the elevator was and stepped in when the doors opened. While Ash stood to the side, Drew purposely nudged him hard on the shoulder as he stepped deeper into the space. The elevator went upwards, and Brock, Max, May, and Pikachu could all sense the tension between Ash and Drew. Fortunately, the elevator ride was quick, so they all stepped out into the hallway and found where they would be staying.

Ash opened the door to his room and walked in, immediately followed by May. The room was pleasantly large and had two fairly large beds for each individual. Across from the beds was a flat screen TV that was mounted onto the wall. Underneath the TV was a large and wide dresser, and next to it was a table with a miniature refrigerator. Located right next to the windows was a sofa that could double up as a bed. The room also had a massive bathroom with a luxurious shower stall and bathtub.

"Oh, this room is amazing!" May flopped onto the bed closest to the windows.

"Yeah, this is really nice." Ash said as he set down his backpack and placed his clothes in one of the drawers of the dresser.

"Hey, I just realized, since our room is identical to Max's, how do you think the three of them are gonna split up the beds?" May propped herself up on her elbows as she lay on her stomach on top of the bed.

Ash shrugged.

"I don't know. Brock might end up taking the sofa because of Max and Drew." He said.

"Hmm, poor Brock."

"Yeah."

"Well, at least it's comfortable for us here." May looked at Ash.

"Yeah, and it's an especially good thing that there are two beds here, other wise I would have to sleep on the sofa." Ash flopped onto his bed onto his back with his arms spread out.

"Hey, what do you mean? You can't always go giving up everything for me! Besides, the bed is big enough for the two of us to sleep on." May suddenly blushed at the thought and tried to hide her face, wondering how Ash would interpret her statement.

"Well, I guess it is big enou-w-wait, what?" Ash furrowed his brow. "What do you mean by that?"

May gulped.

"Er, nothing. I'm just saying that none of us should have to sleep on the sofa, that's all!" She smiled sheepishly.

"Umm, okay, then." Ash decided to drop the subject.

Pikachu, with an all-knowing look, smirked at May.

May looked pleadingly at Pikachu, mouthing, "please don't tell him."

Pikachu just shrugged and hopped onto the bed next to Ash. As Pikachu lay flat on the mattress like his best friend, he replayed what May said about herself and Ash sleeping together on one bed. A devilish grin formed on his mouth as he thought up of a plan.

"Pikachu, pikapi pi pi chu." He finalized his plan that would later be executed during the night.

* * *

Drew slammed his belongings onto his bed and pounded the mattress repeatedly. At this point, he was so furious that he didn't care about concealing his rage. He growled and proceeded to punch his pillow.

" _Curse. You. Ash. Ketchum!_ " He screamed internally in between punches, imagining that the pillow was the trainer's face.

Brock and a very concerned Max stood to the side, watching Drew's tantrum. Max elbowed Brock in the side to get him to lean towards him. He cupped his hand to the breeder's ear.

"Boy, I sure wish we ended up getting a third room just for him; I really don't feel safe here anymore." He whispered.

"Yeah, I feel the same way. Maybe Drew is just too egotistic that he has never learned to accept defeat, especially since May clearly prefers Ash over him." Brock whispered back.

"Should we calm him down?"

"Yeah, we should so he won't be on a rampage for the rest of the day, although, at this point, I don't know if he will listen to reason."

Brock stepped toward the ever-enraged coordinator, sticking out his hands to pat him on the back. Upon contact, Drew viciously turned around, his eyes teeming with fury.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT?!" He yelled.

"Whoa, relax, okay?" Brock shot his hands in the air to signify that he meant no trouble. "It's just that Max and I are very concerned about you. Just...takes things easy, okay?"

"HOW THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO 'TAKE THINGS EASY' IF I WAS JUST HUMILIATED?!" Drew shouted furiously.

Brock and Max were taken aback, not expecting this much ferocity coming from Drew.

"Well, no one really humiliated you. All that happened was that my sister just wanted to room with Ash, that's all." Max spoke up.

Drew turned to Max and marched up to him.

"YEAH, EXACTLY! SHE CHOSE THAT DORK OVER ME! I'M CLEARLY BETTER THAN HIM, YET, SHE CHOSE HIM OVER ME!"

Brock walked to the unstable coordinator.

"Listen, Drew," he placed his hands on his shoulders, "all thi-"

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" Drew swung his arm violently, causing Brock to let go.

"Listen, if you continue to act this way, how would May feel about you?" Brock asked. "May would be frightened and would want to stay away from you. You have got to calm down."

Drew grinder his teeth, processing what Brock said. He knew the breeder was right; his anger would only cause her to fear him. Drew grunted and stormed out of the room to think things through.

Brock and Max looked at each other and breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that things were a bit calmer for now.

* * *

Ash and May were sitting next to each other on one of the sofas in the lobby as they waited for Brock, Drew and Max. Pikachu, currently sitting on May's lap, received rubs from under the chin and behind the ears and cooed in delight. The trainer and coordinator were wearing clothes over their swim suits, and May had decided to leave her bandana in the hotel room. They eagerly waited for their friends to join them on the boardwalk and eventually the beach.

Brock and Max soon walked into the lobby and saw them.

"Hey, Brock, hey, Max!" Ash greeted. "Are you guys ready?"

May looked around and noticed that a certain green-haired coordinator was not present.

"Hey, where's Drew?" She asked.

"Oh, uh...well, you see, he needed to step out and get some fresh air, so I'm not really sure where he is. He should be back relatively soon, though." Brock explained.

"But enough of that, let's head over to the beach! I wanna build some huge sand castles!" Max exclaimed.

The group began walking out of the hotel and onto the boardwalk. Just when they were about to step onto the sand, Brock spotted a particularly attractive woman off in the distance. Eyeing her appearance, his eyes were immediately replaced by hearts, and he clasped his hands together and began running toward her.

"Hey! Wait up! Every darn time!" Max yelled, chasing after Brock to make sure he wouldn't do anything crazy.

Ash and May were left alone. While they enjoyed the company of Brock and Max, they both secretly wanted to be alone together, which, fortunately for them, happened to be the case for now.

"So...want to head over now?" Ash asked, eager to spend time with the brunette.

"Yeah, let's go. There is so much to do here!" May exclaimed.

They walked onto the sand, only to find themselves jumping up and down due to the scorching hot temperatures of the surface.

"Oh, hot, hot, hot!" May screamed, sprinting for the water.

Ash ran after her with Pikachu on his shoulder, who laughed at their predicament. The trainer saw May charge toward a huge wave that was forming in the distance, but it seemed that May didn't notice it. Upon reaching the cool water, May relaxed and breathed a sigh of relief. She turned around, facing the trainer, and waved at him.

"Hey, it's really comfortable here! Come on!" She yelled out.

Ash caught up and felt the soothing coolness of the water.

"Ahhh," he breathed, "it IS nice."

"Yeah, it really is." May smiled, stepping closer to the trainer with her hands clasped together.

Ash looked behind May and saw that the wave was seconds from falling on top of them. An idea formed in his head, making him smirk evilly.

"You know what else is nice?" He asked, looking at May in the eyes.

"W-what?" The coordinator asked timidly and blushed, thinking that Ash was about to flirt with her.

Ash simply pointed at the wave behind her.

"That wave." He grinned.

He instantly bolted in the opposite direction, ditching the brunette as she was engulfed by the water.

Ash and Pikachu bursted into laughter from a safe distance and high-fived each other. After recollecting himself, Ash looked toward where he last saw the coordinator get swallowed by the wave and saw that she was now completely wet. He immediately noticed that her clothes were sticking tightly to her skin, revealing her well-developed figure. His eyes were wide open and he couldn't bring himself to look away. He then saw May shake her hair out of her face like a model, with the water droplets seamlessly flowing in every direction.

" _Ho-ly-crap._ " He thought, frozen and mesmerized by the sight of May.

What happened next only rendered him incapable of doing anything other than being in a trance: May had begun stripping out of her clothes, revealing her flawless skin and bikini.

Ash couldn't formulate words, even in his mind. His whole body acted as if everything was at a stand-still, everything except that beauty who was now walking toward him.

Sensing that his best pal was doomed, Pikachu hopped off of Ash's shoulder, wondering what May was going to do.

May was now an arm distance away from Ash, who was still mesmerized by her. Seeing this as an opportunity to get back at him, May pulled her arm back and socked Ash hard on the shoulder, which effectively got him out of his trance.

"Ow, what was that f-" Ash complained, only to be pulled by the arm toward the water.

Seeing that May was about to shove him into the water, he tried to reason with her.

"W-wait, hold on! Please, don-" he pleaded, but it was too late.

Ash felt himself fall and could feel the cold water all over his body.

While the trainer was submerged in the ocean water, May grinned.

"That's what you get for doing that to me!" She said as Ash's head poked out of the water.

Ash pouted, then stood up on his feet. Now that he was all wet, he would have to take off his shirt. He began peeling the apparel off his torso, and it was now May's turn to be caught in a state of complete captivation and enchantment. As Ash revealed more skin, she keenly observed the definition of the raven-haired boy's muscles and abs, and she practically began drooling.

 _"Oh my, I have never realized just how...perfect...his body is._ " May smiled dreamily.

Ash began walking toward her, causing May to feel herself lose consciousness. She fell back onto the sand, her face still keeping its infatuated look. She felt Ash tugging on her, perhaps to see if she was alright, but May had already transcended past the grasps of reality.

"Oh, Ash." She murmured.

* * *

 **In May's fantasy world**

Ash and May had their feet planted firmly in the sand as they stood in the water. The water reached up to their waists, and they were awaiting the massive wave that was rapidly approaching. The two had made an agreement that, if Ash fell to the wave and May was still standing, then Ash would have to kiss her and treat her to dinner. If May fell and Ash survived, then she would have to become his personal maid for the rest of the day. However, if both of them survived or were overwhelmed by the water, then they would have to retry and wait for the next wave to decide a victor.

The wave was mere seconds from colliding with them now, and Ash and May grinned, both wanting to win the bet. Right before the wave hit, May purposely pushed Ash back, causing him to lose balance and get swallowed by the water. May managed to overcome the powerful forces of the wave and fist-pumped the air as Ash resurfaced and stood up, smiling. He walked forward, acknowledging that he lost, even though he knew May cheated, and brought his lips towards hers. May inched closer to the trainer and lowered her eye lids as she felt the warmth of his lips. She instinctively wrapped one arm around Ash's waist and placed her other arm on his chest, feeling his calm and steady heartbeat.

Time seemed to fly by while they enjoyed this moment of intimacy, and now the sun was beginning to set; the star casted a hazy glow on the few clouds in the sky, providing a beautiful and serene sight. Ash and May broke the kiss, satisfied with their exchange of genuine feelings for each other, and they walked onto the boardwalk. Hand-in-hand, they walked closely together, looking around at the different arcades, shops and restaurants nearby.

May spotted a huge, fluffy Eevee plush doll at one of the arcades and pulled Ash over to the stands. They found out that, in order to win the plush doll, they would have to successfully toss five rings onto a bottle. Ash paid for one try, which granted him five rings, and managed to land every toss. The manager of the arcade gave the plush doll to Ash, who gave to it to a very jubilant May. To thank Ash for his efforts, May kissed him on the cheek and smiled, whereas Ash blushed. Afterward, the couple wandered around the boardwalk for the rest of the evening until they turned in for dinner, which Ash paid for. The whole time at the restaurant, Ash and May couldn't help but lose themselves in each other's eyes.

Soon enough, they finished eating, and they decided to head back to the hotel. There, they decided to sleep on the same bed so they could continue to be close to one another.

Ash wrapped his arms around May's waist, pulling her close to his body from behind, and kissed the back of her head. Then they slept, feeling content and happy while sleeping with the one they loved so, so much.

* * *

"Umm, May?" Ash tried poking her.

The coordinator was still unresponsive and still maintained that trance-like look, so Ash decided to place her under shade to rest.

"Pikachu, could you please fetch my bag for me? It seems like May can't handle the heat today." The trainer said, unaware that HE was the reason for May's behavior.

Pikachu obliged and ran off to Ash's bag that was further away from the ocean and retrieved it. The Pokémon tugged the bag to where Ash and May were and made the peace sign with his paw.

"Thanks, Pikachu." Ash petted his best friend's fur.

Ash unzipped his bag and pulled out a collapsible umbrella. He opened it up, set the umbrella firmly into the sand that was a safe distance away from the water, and walked back to where May continued to lay. He placed an arm underneath the top of her back and his other arm under the back of her knees, and picked her up. As he carried her over to the shade of the umbrella, May began to stir and noticed how she was being carried bridal-style. Her cheeks turned a crimson color and she nestled her head into the trainer's chest, enjoying the comforts of Ash's presence. Ash gently set May down and sat next to her; because he didn't want to lose the sweet touch of May, he held her hand firmly.

May felt many things rush through her body as she felt the comfortableness of Ash's touch. She was overwhelmed by his caring nature, and she felt she could no longer contain her feelings for the boy sitting right next to her.

" _I_... _I_ _have_ _to_ _tell_ _him_. _I've_ _got_ _to_. _He_ _has_ _everything_ _I_ _love_ _in_ _him_ , _and_ _he_ _makes_ _the_ _perfect_ _boyfriend_." She thought, her heart pounding at extreme speeds. " _Come on, May, there is no one here. No Brock, no Max, and no Drew to stop this moment. It's just us, and right now is a good time to tell him_."

May wanted to speak out and express her feelings for Ash, but she found herself unable to speak due to nervousness.

" _Come on! Just say_ _it_!" She shouted to herself mentally. " _Just get it over with!_ "

May took several minutes to calm herself and took deep breaths. Her heart was still racing, but she couldn't help but feel nervous.

" _Alright. Now is the time_."

As May was about to speak and spill everything she contained for Ash, a certain green-haired coordinator appeared right next to them.

"Hello, my dear May." He spoke, flipping his hair.

Ash glared at him for ruining his time with May, while May appeared annoyed and saddened by his interruption.

"Ah, as for you, Ketchum," Drew spoke smoothly, "Brock and Max both require your assistance."

"What for?" Ash asked rather harshly.

"Oh, they didn't say, but they seemed to really need your help." Drew smirked, attempting to separate Ash and May. "They are several blocks down from our hotel."

Ash continued to scowl at Drew before standing up, releasing May's hand. He grunted as he walked away in search of Brock and Max, unsure of if Drew was scamming him.

Drew turned to Pikachu, who was sitting next to May.

"That goes for you too." He said.

Pikachu glared at the boy before running off to find his best friend.

" _Perfect, now I'm all alone with May_." Drew snickered. " _By the end of today, she WILL be mine_."


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's note**

 **Hey, everyone! Sorry for the delay, I had to take an extra day to look over this chapter because it was originally a bit shorter. I decided that it was a little incomplete so I took the time to add more. I hope you guys understand.**

 **Well, enjoy this chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon**

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

Ash and Pikachu hopelessly searched for Brock and Max on the busy boardwalk. They had already swept through the area past the hotel, where they supposedly were, and even checked their hotel rooms just to be sure. Nonetheless, they struggled to look for their friends.

"You know, Pikachu, I'm beginning to think that Drew is tricking us all along about Brock's and Max's needing our help." Ash said to his best friend in an annoyed tone.

Pikachu, who was also beginning to feel frustration, nodded in agreement.

"But even if he were trying to trick us, I wonder where Brock and Max could be? It shouldn't take that long for Max to pull Brock by the ear, right? Unless there are just too many women here for Brock to the point that he can't stand it."

Pikachu slumped his shoulders as he walked beside Ash.

"Pikapi." He said exhaustedly.

"Yeah, I feel you. We'll search for Brock and Max for a bit longer, then we'll check up on May."

* * *

"Hey, get back here!"

Max, who was now panting, was still chasing after Brock. After noticing that the little boy was attempting to foil his plan of flirting with the lady, Brock had decided to run around the bustling boardwalk in hopes of tiring out Max and making him lose interest in interrupting his chance of talking to a potential love interest.

After seeing Max slow down into an exhausted walk, Brock grinned and proceeded to run towards the unsuspecting woman he saw earlier. Right when he was within distance, Brock jumped in front of the woman and dropped down on one knee, face down for drama. The woman looked surprised, wondering what the breeder was doing.

"My dear angel, it is my honor to be in your presence, as your beauty and stunning appearance has ignited my unrequited love for you." Brock said, trying to adjust his voice to sound more mature.

"Umm..." the woman looked around before looking back questionably at the man kneeling before her, "do I know you?"

Brock immediately shot up onto his feet and grasped the hand of the woman as he looked deeply into her eyes.

"Why, now you do, as you have now captured the heart of me, Brock!" He exclaimed. "As one who absolutely knows true beauty when he sees one, I devote my life to you, oh fair one!"

The woman looked uncomfortable as she tried to squirm her hands out of Brock's grasp.

"Well, you seem like a nice guy and all, but, frankly, I don't even know you!" She said in an agitated tone.

"Why, we can surely fix that! I'll tell you all about myself, and I'd like to know all about y-"

Brock suddenly felt himself being pulled back violently by the ear, causing him to lose his hold on the girl's hand.

"Gah, no, not now, please!" Brock pleaded, knowing Max was the one pulling him.

"No, sorry, Brock. You know the drill here." Max said, not even looking back at Brock's pained reaction as he pulled him away from the now relieved woman. "Now, lets go to where we should have been: the beach where Ash and May are."

Brock, knowing defeat, cried the rest of the way as he knew he would never see that lady again.

* * *

May continued to look down the path she saw Ash go through, hoping he would return quickly so she could continue to spend time with him. Drew smugly walked toward the brunette and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, causing her to flinch and seem somewhat uncomfortable.

"Well, since it's just us here," Drew winked at May, "how about we explore the boardwalk and grab something to eat?"

May pondered for a moment; she didn't think that was a necessarily bad idea, but a part of her wanted to stay put until Ash came back.

"I-I don't know, Drew. Shouldn't we wait for the others to come back?" She asked, looking at the green-haired coordinator.

Drew shook his head no.

"There's no need to wait for them. Instead of waisting our time for them for who knows how long, we should take advantage of this time and enjoy the most of this place." He replied, squeezing May's shoulder while starting to lead her away from the beach.

"Wait, we should at least pack up Ash's stuff." May spoke up, pointing towards his collapsible umbrella and backpack.

Drew visibly cringed at hearing Ash's name but shook it off.

"Sure. Then we'll go." He said.

Drew reluctantly walked back to Ash's belongings and helped May clean up. However, after packing things up, May realized a problem.

"Wait, we can't leave Ash's bag here, and we certainly can't just take it with us without his permission while we're on he boardwalk." She pointed out. "It's best if we just wait for him to come back."

"Well, why don't you send out your Pokémon and have it watch over his bag in the meantime?" Drew suggested, desperately wanting to spend time with May alone.

May shifted herself so she could be free from Drew's grasp and looked harshly at him.

"What the heck is your deal, Drew?" May pointed an accusing finger, "Why are you so persistent on bringing me with you with no one else?"

Drew, who was taken aback by this sudden outburst, held his hands up to appear innocent.

"Look, I didn't mean to upset you in any way. All I wanted to do was spend some time doing something rather than nothing with you." He explained himself, although leaving out some important details.

May still stared Drew down, making him twitch.

" _Something's not right. I can feel it, but I just can't put my finger on what it is._ " She mused.

May sighed, then eased her glare.

"Look, I'll go with you for ten minutes, then we'll come back here, okay?" She declared, wanting to be back on the sand for Ash.

"Yeah, that's fine." Drew muttered.

" _Damn, this is not how it's supposed to go!_ " He said irritatedly in his head. " _I'm supposed to take her out_ _for the remainder of the day and get her to become mine!_ "

May called out her Munchlax and promised it that, if it protected Ash's belongings until he came back, then May would reward it with an abundance of food. Naturally, Munchlax complied after hearing about food, so it wobbled its way to Ash's bag.

"Alright, ten minutes starts now." May announced to her rival.

* * *

It had been several minutes before Max finally dragged a weeping Brock back to where they used to be on the boardwalk.

"Alright, now that we're here, we gotta find my sis and Ash." Max said, releasing Brock's ear.

Brock delicately rubbed the pain away and looked around.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to search the sands for them." The breeder said, scanning the vicinity.

It wasn't long before they spotted a Munchlax standing next to a familiar bag, aimlessly looking around.

"Hey, isn't that May's Munchlax?" Max nudged the breeder.

"Yeah, I think it is. Hey, Munchlax!" Brock shouted towards the Pokémon.

"Munch?" The Pokémon looked in their direction. "Munchlax munchlax!"

"What are you doing here?" Max said as he and Brock walked over to the joyful Pokémon.

"Munch, Munchlax!" It cried out, pointing toward the bag next to it.

"Hmm, this looks a lot like Ash's bag." Brock observed. "My guess is that Ash had to go somewhere and May sent out Munchlax to guard his bag until he returned, is that right, Munchlax?"

"Munchlax!" It feverishly nodded.

"Alright, but where did Ash go? And where's May?" Max questioned.

"Hey! Brock, Max!" A loud voice resonated.

The two turned around to see Ash and Pikachu running towards them.

"Well, that answers one question." Brock smiled.

Ash slowed down into a walk as he reached his friends. Immediately, he noticed that two particular people were missing and that May's Munchlax was shouting joyously after seeing him.

"Hey, where's May?" Inquired Ash.

"I don't know. When we got here, it was just Munchlax, and it seems like May sent it out to watch over your bag, meaning she had to go somewhere." Brock replied.

" _She must be with Drew._ " Ash concluded, clenching his fists. " _Of course he had to be here to ruin everything. I hope May is doing fine; I have no way of finding her and making sure she is safe._ "

"Hey, is everything alright?" Max asked, noticing Ash's behavior.

"No. it's just that Drew stopped by and told me that you two needed my help, so May was left alone with him." Ash explained.

Brock and Max looked at each other puzzlingly, unable to recall talking to Drew about such things.

"I don't know what he said, but we never asked him to tell you to help us." Max brought up.

Ash sighed, drooping his shoulders and neck.

"That's just what I thought. Of course he'd lie to me to be alone with May." Ash growled.

"Pika!" Pikachu sparked around the cheeks, expressing anger towards the green-haired coordinator.

"Well, I wouldn't worry about May; she's a very strong and brave person, and she'd know how to defend herself, if that's what you're worried about." Brock calmly patted Ash's shoulder.

Ash nodded, appreciative of Brock's reassuring skills. He's always knew how to comfort his friends, and Ash was grateful to have him watch over everyone.

"Hey, Ash," Max stepped forward.

Ash looked down at Max, asking "what's up?"

"Why do you act so strangely and overly protective around May? Do you have a thing for her?" The boy bluntly asked.

Ash froze and blushed profusely. A string of incoherent words escaped his mouth.

"Hehe, that's what I thought." Max said smugly. "But why would you be interested in my girly, sensitive, over-crazy sister? She drives me nuts everyday and she's highly intolerable most of the time. It's like sisters are made to annoy younger brothers!"

Ash looked sternly at Max, angry at how he characterized May.

"Hey, you may not be enthusiastic about your sister, but, too me, she is the most kind and caring person I've ever met, and her personality appeals greatly to me." Ash said in a protective tone.

Max shrugged off Ash's comment and crossed his arms.

"What ever you say. Just please don't go kissy face with her around me, okay? I don't need to be traumatized for life." He muttered.

Ash sulked his shoulders.

"Well, I don't even know if she thinks the same about me. We're friends and all, and she's the most important person to me. I just hope that we keep our friendship, and I certainly don't want anything bad to happen between us." He lowered his voice, looking down at his feet.

"Well, maybe if you weren't dense, you would know that my sis has a thing for you." Max uttered.

"Wait, what do you mean by that?" Ash looked up at the boy, puzzled.

Max rubbed his temples, clearly frustrated with the naive trainer. Brock chuckled at the interaction and faced Ash.

"Well, you'll find out sooner or later, as long as you make sure you never lose May and always stay by her side." The breeder said reassuringly.

Ash nodded. " _Well, I can only hope that I don't screw things up with May. Hopefully, she'll come back soon, then we can spend some more time with each other. Maybe, just maybe, I can tell her how I feel._ "

* * *

"So, how about this pizzeria here?"

Drew was currently trying to appeal to May by offering her a meal at one of the restaurants on the boardwalk. Knowing that the female coordinator couldn't resist food, he figured that taking her to these places would offer him a chance of swooning May over to him.

May rubbed her stomach as it grumbled. She licked her lips hastily and hopped up and down excitedly.

"Yeah, lets go!" May exclaimed, running toward the diner.

Drew smirked. " _Perfect. Just how it's supposed to go._ "

He quickly followed May inside and seated themselves at a two-seater table. There, they looked over the menu and May glamoured over the appearance and size of the pizzas.

"So, have you decided what to eat?" Drew looked up from his menu.

May, still staring intently at the pictures of the menu, feverishly nodded.

"Alright, name whatever you want, and I'll pay for it." The male coordinator said cooly.

"You really mean it?" May asked.

Drew nodded.

"Don't worry about money, I can handle it." He winked.

May smiled, glad that her rival was so considerate and willing to help her.

"Thanks, Drew. That's very kind of you." She said wholeheartedly.

Drew relaxed into his seat and placed his hands around the back of his neck, wearing his confident smirk.

 _"Good, she is starting to acknowledge me. Before you know it, she'll practically be begging to stay by my side and leave Ash and his friends behind in the dust."_ Drew sniggered mentally _._

"Oh, I just wish Ash were here, he'd really enjoy this place."

Drew popped out of his thoughts and his eyebrows sloped inwards. " _Damnit! How can she still be thinking about him?_ " He wondered.

"Hey, what's wrong?" The brunette asked, noticing the male coordinator's tense behavior.

Drew sat up straight and reverted his face to that of overconfidence.

"Oh, no, nothing is wrong." He simply said, then decided to change the topic. "Have you ever noticed just how much the blue of the ocean matches your eyes?"

May looked at him, wondering what he was up to.

"Umm, no?" She answered.

"Well, I must say that the water reminds me of you, for you are truly beautiful and stunning. Not only that, but the nature of water perfectly defines the gentle and serene characteristics that you possess." Drew said smoothly while presenting a rose from behind his back.

May timidly accepted the rose and blushed. Even though she had received many roses and all-too-kind words from her rival, she couldn't help but flush from his actions.

"U-um, thanks, Drew." She delicately brushed her hair past her ear.

"Don't mention it."

Once they ordered their food and were served the pizzas, they began feasting, or rather scarfing for May.

Drew looked up from his meal at the coordinator across the table. He noticed that she seemed to be completely oblivious to the surrounding world, so he happily chewed on his pizza.

 _"Good, at this rate, she'll forget about the whole 'ten minutes' thing, and I can take this opportunity to take her out to more of the boardwalk."_ He schemed _._

They ate for a few minutes before May finished her pizza.

"Ahh, that was refreshing." She breathed out. "Thank you for bringing me out here."

"Oh, it's my pleasure." Drew spoke. Soon enough, he finished his pizza. They left the diner and walked onto the boardwalk, looking around at the available stores, food carts and arcades.

"Hey, would you like some ice cream? There's a pretty nice looking ice cream cart over there, and it seems like they serve many different flavors." Drew suggested, pointing toward a vendor, who was serving a line of customers.

"Yeah, I'd love some!" May squealed. "Oh, I just know that Ash would love-" Suddenly, images of the smiling trainer flashed through her mind, reminding her of her promise to go back to where he was. "Ash!"

May quickly turned around and started running to where she last saw him.

"I almost forgot about him! It's time to go back!" She shouted.

Drew, frustrated, frowned and cursed the ice cream vendor.

"Never should've mentioned ice cream. Damnit, Ketchum." He growled.

He miserably followed May and kept bashing Ash in his mind.

* * *

Ash and Brock were laying contently on the sand, relaxing while Max, under the supervision of Munchlax and Pikachu, was constructing a sand castle.

"No, no, Munchlax, the tower is supposed to go up here!" Max scolded the Pokémon, pointing at a clump of sand in the middle of a base.

"Munclax Munch." Munchlax sighed and plopped down onto its bottom.

Pikachu shook his head in disbelief and decided to build the tower that Munchlax failed to build.

Ash briefly glanced at the three, grinning at their determination to build the castle.

"Ash!"

Ash sat up, looking around. " _Was that May's voice?_ " He wondered.

"Ash! Over here!"

Ash turned in the direction of the voice and saw the brunette he fell for, running straight for him with a smile.

"May!" Ash bolted up and ran towards her.

The distance between the two was rapidly decreasing, and, soon enough, they found each other in one another's arms, glad to be in contact with each other again.

Upon hugging each other, they both felt at paradise, feeling completely secure and genuinely happy knowing that they were in the comforts of their loved one.

"Ahem."

Ash and May instantly broke off and turned toward a grinning Brock and Max.

"Hey, we'd appreciate if you guys didn't get too emotional for each other often, especially in front of us." Max said, pushing up his glasses.

Ash and May glanced at each other, flushing furiously.

" _Wait, 'each other?_ '" Ash replayed Max's words. " _What could that mean?_ "

"Hey, Max, do you need an invitation to go back to Mom and Dad's?" May raised her voice. "Because we can certainly arrange for that!"

Max cowered in fear, not wanting to be forced back to Petalburg city.

"No, please! I didn't mean to!" Max begged.

May wagged a finger at him, knowing that the threat tactic would always make her brother shut up.

"That's what I thought." She said.

"Munchlax!" The Pokémon wobbled its way to May.

"Oh, thank you so much for watching over, Munchlax!" She squatter down and rubbed its head. "I promise I'll give you extra food tonight." She took out Munchlax's pokeball and returned it.

Soon enough, Drew, after grudgingly walking, finally arrived at where the others were.

"Hey, Drew, you finally made it here!" May exclaimed.

"Yeah, I really couldn't keep up with you." The male coordinator said.

"Well, now that we're here, what should we do now?" Ash asked.

Just then, they noticed that the sun was beginning to set and that the blue sky had turned a dark blue and orange color.

"Well, seeing that it's getting dark now, we can explore the boardwalk or head back to the hotel." Brock stated.

"I say we check out the boardwalk for a bit, grab something to eat, then head back to the hotel." Ash said.

"Yeah, I agree with Ash." May immediately said.

"Oh course you would quickly side with Ash." Max sighed.

"What was that, Max?" May glared at her brother.

"N-n-nothing, sis." Max backed down.

"Good."

With that, the gang headed onto the boardwalk, with May walking with Ash at the front of the group.

Suddenly, Max pointed toward an arcade and couldn't stop jumping up and down.

"Guys, look! The claw machine there has the newest and most advanced pokenav! I've got to get it!" He exclaimed.

Brock figured this would be a good time to give Ash and May some time alone, so he decided to let Max go.

"Alright, that's fine. Hey, Drew, can you help look out for Max with me? He might end up super crazed about the claw machine." Brock explained.

Drew looked back between Max and May. If he went with Max and Brock, then he would be leaving May with Ash, something he despised with all his heart. However, if he complied and looked out for May's brother, he figured that May would think highly of him, so he agreed.

"Alright, fine, I'll go." He said gruffly. Brock, Drew and Max walked toward the arcade, while Ash and May still stood on the boardwalk.

"So, what do you want to do?" The trainer asked May, hoping for them to partake in a fun activity.

May surveyed her surroundings, looking for anything that stood out to her. Her eyes landed on a stuffed Glaceon doll, hanging on the wall of a balloon dart game aisle. Immediately, snippets of her fantasy world flashed into her mind, causing her to be excited about possibly making the dream come true.

"Hey, let's try that out." She quickly pulled Ash with her to the balloon dart game. Upon walking to the game stand, the manager greeted them.

"Hiya, folks!" He grinned jovially. "Interested in winning these fellow stuffed Pokémon?"

"Yes! What do I have to do to win that Glaceon doll?" May asked energetically.

"Well, if ya wanna win this, you gotta pop five o' these balloons!" The manager motioned towards the small balloons that were stationed 12 feet away.

"Alright, give me the darts!" May said enthusiastically.

"Okee dokee! That'll be $4!" The man said happily.

May was given 7 darts after paying, and she aimed carefully. There were about 10 balloons on the wall, each of which were spaced out and small, making it more difficult to land a dart.

"C'mon, May, you got this!" Ash cheered by her side.

May smiled and tossed a dart. The dart made contact with the balloon, causing it to pop.

"Yes!" May cheered, then took aim again. She threw it, but this time, it only made contact with the wall.

"It's alright, May, you can do this!" Ash said supportingly.

May thanked Ash for his support and threw another dart. Like before, it hit the wall, missing the target. Soon enough, dart after dart, only four balloons were popped in total.

"Darn, I was so close!" May said, upset. She pulled out her wallet to receive another attempt, only to find that she was short on money. "Oh no, I'm all out! Now I won't be able to get that Glaceon doll!" May cried out.

Ash didn't want to see a saddened May. He decided, in order to make her happy, he would help her out.

"I'd like a try please." He said to the manager. He got the darts and aimed. He missed the first two darts, leaving him with five darts for five balloons to pop.

" _Alright, I can do this_." He thought to himself. " _For_ _May_."

He took a deep breath and tossed a dart.

Pop.

He tossed another dart.

Pop.

Ash tossed two more darts, popping the small balloons.

"The final one." He mumbled.

"Yeah, Ash, one more to go!" May cheered excitedly, wanting him to win.

Ash took one last deep breath, reeled back his wrist, and threw it. The sound of popping ignited the excitement of the two as they began jumping up and down in joy.

"Yes! I knew you could do it!" May cried out, hugging the trainer.

"Thanks, May, all your cheering really helped." Ash said, hugging back.

They broke their embrace when the manager congratulated Ash.

"Congrats, my good man! Now, what prize would ya like?" The manager asked.

Ash, without even needing time to contemplate, pointed at the Glaceon doll. The manager took off the doll from the wall and presented it to the trainer.

"Thanks for playing and come again!" The man grinned.

Ash and May nodded and turned away.

"May, I want you to have the Glaceon doll." Ash smiled, handing it to the brunette.

May looked down at the doll and back at Ash's eyes.

"R-really? Why?" She asked.

"Well, I saw how you wanted it so badly, and I really didn't want to see you upset, so I want you to have it." Ash placed a hand on May's shoulder.

Words couldn't describe how happy May was for Ash. She pulled him into an embrace and smiled against Ash's chest, thankful that he would be willing to do anything to make her smile.

"Thank you. Thank you so much." She tightened her grip around Ash. "You have no idea how much this means to me."

"It's no problem at all." Ash laid his head against May's. "Anything to make you happy."


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey, everyone! Sorry for the delay once again. All I can say is that for these upcoming chapters, I won't be following the two week schedule. The reason is because I have to go on a creative retreat and think about what to write for this story, as I'm struggling to fit things together. There are some themes I want to focus on, but based on how this story is going, I have to figure out the best way to incorporate these ideas. Or the other way is to trash those ideas and come up with new material. I don't know, so that's why I've decided to go against the usual schedule for now. After getting past these problems, you can expect the usual updates. I hope you guys understand.**

 **Well, enjoy the chapter!**

 **Disclamer: I don't own Pokémon**

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

Drew rapidly tapped his foot as he and Brock stood next to Max, waiting for him to be done with the claw machine.

"Alright, this is the one!" Max declared, eyeing the position of the claw to the pokenav sitting below it. He pushed the red button and eagerly watched as the claw lowered itself. The claw perfectly grabbed hold of the prize and rose up.

"Hey, it looks like you're finally going to get it!" Brock smiled.

"It's about time." Drew grumbled, wanting to get out of the arcade as fast as possible to be with May.

The three of them watched as the claw turned directions towards where it would drop the prize. Max couldn't stop fidgeting and held his breath the whole time.

"Come on, come on!" He prayed, sweating from anticipation.

The claw was mere inches from its destination before the prize slipped out of the claw's grasp and fell down.

Max was in shock. He couldn't move or muster any noise of frustration. Brock simply chuckled at his friend's struggle, while Drew punched the nearest wall. Finally, the unfortunate loss of the prize clicked in Max's brain as he dropped down onto his knees.

"NOOOOO!" He screamed. "I WAS SO CLOSE! AND THIS WAS MY 30th TRY! THIS GAME IS RIGGED!" He dramatically pounded the floor. Max then looked around the arcade to see if there were any nearby or watching managers before kicking the machine.

"So, I'm guessing you are done with this place for now, huh." Brock patted Max's shoulder.

"Yeah, screw this place." Max growled.

"Oh, finally, now we can get out of here." Drew breathed a sigh of relief. He began walking out of the arcade and onto the boardwalk before he heard Brock call out to him.

"Hey, Drew!" The breeder said, running up to the coordinator, "Want to grab something to eat? It's getting pretty late, and Max and I are getting pretty hungry."

"No, I think I'll eat later." Drew shook his head. He had been stuck in this miserable place with the two of them for so long, who knows what Ash and May were doing during that time? He couldn't risk losing precious seconds, minutes, and even hours and have Ash potentially enter a romantic relationship with May.

"Aw, come on! It'll only be for a short time! Plus, I doubt that we would find May so soon because she could be anywhere!" Brock spoke urgently to the coordinator, knowing that he was intent on finding May. He himself was intending to provide Ash and May with more time to spend with each other.

"I don't know, I really shou-"

"Hey, don't worry! I'll even pay for everyone for dinner!" Brock said.

"Augh, fine. After that, I'm leaving to look for her." Drew muttered.

"Alright, sounds good!" The breeder smiled. "At least this'll give Ash and May more time with each other. Hopefully, they are spending this time wisely."

"So, where to now?" May asked, still holding onto the Glaceon doll Ash had just given her.

"Well, I suppose we can try out some cotton candy and ice cream from those food carts, and then we can figure out what to do next." Ash suggested, pointing at two food vendors who were busy serving families and couples.

"Why, I'd love to." May smiled sweetly. As she was about to walk, she felt Ash's hand grasping her own, causing her to blush. She looked at the boy standing next to her and saw that he didn't seem to take notice of his action, as if he was holding her hand subconsciously. Pikachu, who was still sitting on Ash's shoulder, snickered as he also noticed his friend's obliviousness.

"Well, I guess I'll go buy us some cotton candy and ice cream." The trainer said as they walked, still hand-in-hand with May.

Fortunately for them, the lines for each cart were short, so they quickly grabbed hold of the snack and dessert. Because May hands were full from the newly given Glaceon plushy, she gave it to Pikachu to hold on to. Fortunately, for the Pokémon, the doll was small and light enough for him to carry.

"Would you like to sit with me on the bench over there?" Ash asked, motioning at a seat that overlooked the ocean.

"Yes! That's sounds really nice!" May beamed, staring dreamily at Ash. They walked to the bench and sat down, leaving no gap between them. Pikachu plopped down from Ash's shoulder and sat next to him with the Glaceon doll.

For the longest time, Ash and May simply sat, ate and watched their surroundings. No words were exchanged as they enjoyed each other's company. From time to time, Ash and May would briefly glance at each other, their hearts completely relaxed and comfortable.

Finally, they each finished their cotton candy and ice cream, the both of them delicately cleaning each other's lips as they were a mess. Afterward, they sat in silence, wondering what was next. Ash's attention was shifted to an amusement park further down the boardwalk when he heard screams of thrill. He saw a roller coaster moving at immense speeds, sparking Ash with interest.

"May, would you like to go to the amusement park with me?" Ash proposed. "We can go there for awhile until it's time to go back to the hotel."

May's eyes glistened in response; she could envision many potential romantic events, fulfilling her deepest desires of being with the trainer.

"Yes, I'd love to go!" May eagerly said.

Ash and May stood up while Pikachu jumped onto May's shoulder, nuzzling her cheek.

"Hey, stop that, it tickles!" May laughed.

"Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed, ignoring May, continuing his act of affection.

"Well, since Pikachu is with me, that means you get to carry the Glaceon plushy." May grinned.

"Alright, whatever you say." Ash said, picking up the plushy. "Well, shall we go now?"

May nodded, then began walking alongside Ash. They soon arrived at the bustling park and began to survey their surroundings, searching for an activity to do first.

"Hey, since it's just us and Pikachu, we should go on more relaxing rides for now, since I doubt Pikachu would want to go on extreme rides like the roller coaster and slingshot ride. Plus, there's no one else to look after our belongings if we go to such rides." Ash said.

"Yeah, that's fine, we can always go tomorrow with everyone else." May agreed.

The first attraction they came across was a carousel, each seat either a Ponyta or Rapidash. Ash, May and Pikachu waited in line, then quickly sat down on the Ponyta and Rapidash closest to each other. As the carousel began to move, and the horse Pokémon began bobbing up and down, May felt thrilled, enjoying every second with Ash. The only thing she disliked was that the gap between each Pokémon seat was too large, so she couldn't hold onto Ash's hand. Pikachu, who was still on May's shoulder, saw her attempt to reach her hand out to Ash, so the Pokémon laughed.

"What's so funny?" May questioned, looking at the Pokémon on her shoulder while retracting her arm.

Pikachu simply mimicked her movements and reached out toward Ash, who seemed like he was so invested into the ride that he looked sternly in front of him, hunching forward on the Rapidash he was on.

"Oh, that." May blushed. "Are you going to keep teasing me about him?"

Pikachu nodded, then proceeded to make kissy faces.

"Alright, you've made your point, Pikachu." May looked down in embarrassment.

Soon enough, the ride ended, and the three of them decided to try bumper cars.

The wait was long, but it was finally their turn. The stadium for the bumper cars was massive, and there were about fifteen cars to use.

Ash and May each occupied a car, and they looked competitively at each other.

"Now now, mister, you better not target me!" May placed her hands on her hips as they waited for the attraction to start.

"Well, I wasn't planning to, but now you've got me interested!" Ash smirked.

"Ash Ketchum! You're gonna regret this!" May shouted, then turned to Pikachu, who was sitting in the cramped passenger seat. "Pikachu, I don't care if you're Ash's best friend, but we're going to take him down!"

"Pika!" The Pokémon raised its paw.

The alarm sounded, signaling the start of the ride. Immediately, Ash and May turned the steering wheel so they were facing each other, then began charging.

Pikachu hopped onto the front of May's car and pointed menacingly at Ash, screaming, "PIKAAAA" as he pretended to lead the charge. Right before impact, Pikachu hopped back into the seat with May so he wouldn't be flung forward.

The two cars collided, but Ash and May continued to stare each other down. They both maneuvered their vehicles away and prepared for another charge.

"You're really gonna get it this time, Ash Ketchum!" May yelled with the support of Pikachu.

"Oh, let's see about that!" Ash yelled back.

Once again, they collided, then began bumping into each other in close quarters. As they were about to engage in another onslaught, the alarm sounded, signaling the end of the ride.

"Well, that was fun!" Ash exclaimed as they left the attraction.

"Yeah, especially since Pikachu and I clearly hit you more than you hit us!" May smiled at the Pokémon on her shoulder.

"No, I think it was the other way around. I clearly beat you two!"

May and Pikachu playfully rolled their eyes, then the three of them walked around, searching for their next ride. May's eyes landed on a tall, massive ferris wheel, and she could only imagine the amazing sight it would bestow upon them. Not only that, but it could serve to provided romantic scenes with the trainer next to him.

On said romantic scenes, May's mind began its magic, envisioning herself embracing Ash after having expressed her feelings for him. Afterward, they'd enjoy watching a movie together, where she would snuggle into the comforts of Ash, and-

Thud!

May found herself on the ground, soothing her head. She saw that Pikachu was standing on the ground next to her, probably after falling off her shoulder.

"May, are you alright?" Ash dropped down onto his knees, next to May.

"Y-yeah, I think. What happened?" May looked at Ash as she continued to rub her head.

"Well, you kinda just walked into a lamppost." Ash pointed to the pole in front of her. "You seemed kind of phased out."

"Oh, y-yeah, t-that's why." May blushed, remembering her fantasy world.

"May I ask what got you so moved?" Ash asked while offering May his hand and pulling her up.

"Oh-u-umm, it was really noth-ing." May smiled sheepishly, brushing her hair due to her timidness.

"Well, okay, then." Ash scratched the back of his head.

Silence filled the air as they both struggled to bring up a new topic. Pikachu looked back-and-forth between his friends, wondering why they interacting with each other that way.

"So, A-Ash," May spoke up, "do you want to go on the Ferris wheel with me?"

Ash turned and looked at the gargantuan-sized Ferris wheel, thinking of possible interactions between him and the coordinator, just like May.

"Yeah, that seems like fun. Let's go!" Ash replied. As they began walking, Ash's heart began racing. " _This_ _is it. This is the perfect time to tell her about my feelings. It will be just us up in the cabin, and the scenery will be just right. I have to tell her._ " Ash gulped from nervousness.

Similarly, May began planning out what she would do on the ride. " _Th-this is my chance...my perfect_ _chance. I...I hope he feels the same way I do_." Sigh. " _I have to tell him_."

Pikachu sensed the nervousness and stress that his two human companions possessed. He figured they were feeling pressure about admitting their feelings for one another, so he simply snickered.

The trio waited in line. As time went on, and the line shortened, Ash and May became evermore stressed about the future. Because of how long it was taking, thoughts of doubt seeped into their minds.

" _What...what if she...doesn't accept me?_ "

" _What if he doesn't feel the same way_?"

" _I hope I don't ruin our friendship_."

" _Please, let things turn out for the best_."

It was now time for the trio to enter the Ferris Wheel gondola. Ash and May stepped in, and even though there were seats on either side of the cabin, they sat next to each other. Pikachu figured it was best if he sat on the opposite side of them to give them space for their moment, so he occupied the seat in a laid-back manner.

The cabin slowly rose, granting them a magnificent view of the boardwalk and the rest of the amusement park. Since it was too dark outside, they couldn't see much of the ocean.

"Wow, this is so amazing! I can't wait until we reach the top of the ride!" May exclaimed, pressing her eyes against the window.

"Yeah, this really is..." Ash smiled, looking at May. May briefly turned to look at Ash, causing both of their hearts to flutter; the brief eye contact reminded them of the task at hand: to express their feelings for each other.

" _Come on, just say it_!" They thought to themselves. " _Come on, this is the perfect opportunity! I can't_ _waste it_!"

There was something inside of them that prevented them from expressing their love for each other. No matter how hard they tried, they felt too nervous, knowing that, if they did, their lives would change forever.

The cabin rose even higher, almost reaching the pinnacle. Their attention quickly shifted to the outdoors, almost as if they wanted to avoid each other because of doubt.

" _Come on, Ash_!" The trainer yelled to himself. " _I can take on gym battles and the league, but I can't even_ _talk to a girl! Why_?!"

" _May, what are you doing_?!" May screamed. " _There is nothing to be afraid of! It's just Ash, that's it! I have_ _no reason to hold back! It's what I would want_!"

The cabin reached the peak of its height, offering the best view of the beach. However, Ash and May couldn't concentrate on the view, as they were struggling internally.

Pikachu watched with concern, noticing how they were avoiding each other. He began to worry that their chance would pass, and that they would become too afraid to talk to each other, ultimately destroying their friendship. Pikachu couldn't tolerate that. Pikachu quickly jumped off of the seat and onto May's lap, startling her.

"Oh, hey, w-what's up?" May whispered.

Pikachu looked sternly at May.

"Pikapi." He said, pointing at Ash and nodded, then jumped off of her lap and onto Ash's.

"Hey, buddy." Ash greeted.

Pikachu pointed toward May and nodded, signaling that it was time.

Pikachu then hopped back onto the seat opposite of them and watched. Ash and May both acknowledged that Pikachu was helping them out, and they took a deep breath.

" _It's now or never_." They thought simultaneously.

They turned toward each other. At first, their hearts pumped rapidly out of nervousness, then it began to steady out.

"Ash." "May."

"Oh, w-what was it you wanted to say?" Ash asked.

"N-no, you go first." May said.

"Okay." Ash took another deep breath, then stared into May's sapphire eyes. "We-well, there is something t-hat...I wanted to t-tell you."

"What...what is it?" May asked, becoming interested.

"Well...you see, throughout...my journey in Hoenn and the Battle Frontier, I-I-I realized something." Ash paused, collecting his thoughts.

"What did you realize?" May wondered.

"May, after traveling with you for all this time, I've realized that...that your smile, your personality, all of that...they make me feel so complete...and so happy. I've never felt this before, with anyone...I can't imagine living a life without you, and...I always want to make you happy, to see that smile. It...it kinda gives me a new purpose in life, because that is the best feeling I have ever experienced."

May began processing Ash's words and couldn't believe that this was actually happening. She held a hand to her mouth, certainly not expecting Ash to be this sentimental toward her.

"I'm so happy to have met you, May, because our adventures are the best that I've been through. You've changed me, and I can proudly say that...our relationship...it's something special. what I'm trying to say is..." Ash held May's free hand delicately and passionately, "...I love you."

May couldn't move. Too many emotions were flowing through her body, and her excitement was overloading, almost exploding.

" _He...loves me? He actually loves me_?" May kept thinking.

Ash stared fearfully at the coordinator, for she hadn't moved a muscle for some time.

" _Does she...does she feel the same way_?" Was the thought that kept repeating in his mind.

Pikachu calmly stared at their interactions, knowing that after a few seconds, Ash and May would officially be a couple.

Finally, May found the power to move, to speak, to embrace. In a split second, she moved toward Ash and wrapped her arms around his waist firmly, not wanting to let go. Tears began flowing down from her eyes as she never felt such jubilation, such calmness, such love.

"Ash, there's something I have to tell you, too." She mumbled into Ash's chest, though just clear enough so he could understand her words. "I just wanted to say that you've changed my life, from someone who despised Pokémon to a Pokémon coordinator, and I've embarked on this amazing journey with you. After all this time with you, knowing how our personalities are almost the same, and how protective and caring you are of me, I felt that you complete my heart, and I can't thank you enough for that."

May lifted her head and stared passionately at Ash, who was dumbfounded.

"Ash, words cannot express how much you mean to me, but all I can say is that I love you, too." May closed the space between them and submitted herself to him. She kissed him, feeling his warm but comfortable lips, and she had never felt so content.

Ash still had his eyes open from shock, then realized that May loved him back. He lowered his eyelids and began sharing this moment of passion with the coordinator. One thought remained in his mind, and that was, " _so I was your missing half, and you were mine_."


	10. Chapter 10

**Author's Note**

 **Hey, everyone! Thanks to all those who reviewed, it's always a pleasure reading your comments! Just to reiterate, I will not abandon this story. Even though updates are no longer on a regular basis for these upcoming chapters, I fully intend to finish this story and many more to come, because otherwise it would be unfair to you, the readers. Now that that's taken cared of, I'll just say that in the future, a lot of things will go down in the story, so don't think this is going to end anytime soon!**

 **Please review and enjoy the chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon**

* * *

 **Chapter 10**

Pikachu enjoyed what he was seeing as he stood on his seat. His job was done for now, at least until they all got back into the hotel room. He still remembered about his plan from earlier, and, given that his best friend and May were now emotionally invested and committed to each other, the night should be rather interesting.

Switching his focus onto his best friend, he couldn't help but smile at how much the trainer had matured. Throughout all the adventures he had shared with him, he never would have imagined that Ash would mature to grow strong, serious emotions for females. Maybe it was only because of May that he managed to turn out that way. Anyway, Pikachu figured that tonight, he would have to help them grow accustomed to their emotions, and what better way than to interfere with their sleeping arrangements?

Across from Pikachu, Ash and May finally broke the kiss, still gleaming passionately at each other. Their foreheads touched, and their hands delicately held the others, not wanting to lose the presence of warmth and comfort.

The three of them sat in a peaceful silence, the atmosphere filled with newfound love, friendship, comfort, and the realization that Ash and May were now finally together.

They found themselves reaching for each other's cheeks, gently caressing the soft skin of the ones they held dear to themselves. The longer they remained in this position, the more they felt that this moment was just right, that this night was just for them, no matter how surreal this all seemed.

The gondola began to lower, and when they were about a quarter of the way from the bottom, they finally spoke for the first time since their first kiss.

"So, Ash, I guess this is really it...we are now in our first relationship, as boyfriend and girlfriend." May spoke softly, smiling at the trainer.

"Yeah, I guess so, although 'boyfriend' and 'girlfriend' sound so unfamiliar and foreign to me." Ash chuckled. "I...I guess I better start getting used to it, then."

May giggled and rested against Ash's side, wrapping her arms around his, as if he were her knight in shining armor, and laying her head on his shoulder. May never, in a million years, thought that she would be able to do something like this. For a long time, the most she could do was daydream about the trainer and live it through the best she could. It was wishful thinking, but now was the real deal. Now, the empty void in her heart was filled, and now, all her hopeless dreams had hope. Hope for a better future, and hope for a life of unconditional love and support.

Ash couldn't express how happy this evening made him. He thought the concept of love was a lost cause for him, considering his dense nature, but, never would he have imagined that his first ever experience with love would be with May, whom he had grown so attached to. Since he was completely new to the idea of love and relationships, he wanted to take things slowly with May as not to ruin things quickly and turn them against each other. That was the last thing he wanted, so, in the mean time, he closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of May sitting next to him.

The gondola reached its lowest point, prompting the newfound couple and Pikachu to step out. With Pikachu on May's shoulder, and Ash holding onto her plushy, they walked to the entrance of the park.

"Well, seeing that it's getting pretty late, do you want to head back to the hotel?" Ash asked.

May found herself to be yawning. Despite how her interactions with Ash made her feel so alive and reinvigorated, she felt exhausted after such a long day.

"Yeah, I could go with going back. I'm so tired." May stretched her arms behind her back.

"Well, soon enough, we'll be in the comforts of our beds, and then it's wonderful sleep for us." Ash smiled, taking May's hand and leading her.

"Yeah, and then we can do all sorts of interesting things tomorrow, considering our new relationship, Ashy." May winked.

"Yeah, I guess so." Ash blushed, still unable to believe that he and May were finally together.

The couple walked onto the boardwalk and breathed in the calm, relaxing air. The screams of roller coaster enthusiasts grew fainter and fainter, and now they appeared before a section of the boardwalk that was filled with beautiful lights and several shops. Tourists and Pokémon alike were happily chatting amongst themselves, and stars scattered along the sky, giving off a beautiful and peaceful vibe.

One particular shop had a wonderful aroma coming from it, causing Ash and May to subconsciously walk towards it. They found out that the delightful smell was coming from a bakery, and, naturally, the thought of food made them hungry. They walked inside and began drooling as they looked at the various types of cakes and donuts on display.

"Oh wow, these look delicious!" May exclaimed. "Especially that one!" She pointed at a chocolate layered cake.

"Here, let me buy one for you." Ash said as he took money from his wallet.

"Oh, no no no, you don't have to do this for me." May placed her hands over Ash's.

"Well, I don't have to, but I want to do this for you, especially since you mean so much to me." Ash smiled passionately at May, then shifted his hands so he could hand the workers the money.

May simply stared at him, not expecting Ash to be this gentleman-like with her. She saw Ash happily exchange the money for the box with the cake in it and saw him walk towards her with a grin.

"Well, now that that's taken cared of, how about we head back?" He asked.

May was about to agree until she caught notice of Ash struggling to hold onto all the objects he was carrying. Knowing that she was mainly the reason for his carrying the plushy and cake, she decided that she would help him out.

"Sure, though I'm not allowing you to hold onto all of my things. Let me hold onto something." May said, reaching for the cake.

"It's alright, May, I can handle it." Ash tried to reason with her, but the brunette was having none of it.

"Ash, I have to do something for all that you've done for me, so I'm lightening the load for you and that's final. Plus, how am I going to hold your hand with you carrying the cake and the Glaceon plushy?" She spoke in a motherly tone with her hands on her hips.

"Alright, you win." Ash grinned.

May happily took the box of cake and intertwined her fingers with Ash's. Ash blushed at her behavior, while Pikachu laughed at their antics.

* * *

Drew rapidly ate the food off his plate as one thing kept repeating in his mind: "Find May before it's too late." Normally, he would respect others and eat with good table manners, but now, all he wanted to do was eat as quickly as he could and leave.

" _Damnit, I can't afford to waste any time in this wretched place. I should be out there with May, spending quality time with her. Instead, I'm stuck here, and Ketchum is with her._ " Drew thought. " _I hope I still_ _have a chance. Hopefully, May won't give him any attention because I'm clearly better than him. There's no way she would be interested in him._ "

The green-haired coordinator was just about done stuffing his face until he looked up and noticed something outside the window behind Brock and Max at the table. He stopped eating, leaned forward on the table and squinted.

" _Is that...May?_ " He carefully watched as a girl with two iconic bangs came into view through the small gaps of the crowded boardwalk. " _It is! Good, she left Ketchum to be here with m-_ " At that moment, he noticed Ash walking along with May, smiling. His eyes fell onto their hands. A sickening feeling erupted in his stomach, and he had never felt so much rage build up in himself in that short amount of time.

" _No...no, no, no...this can't be...they can't be..._ " Drew continued to watch with his eyes wide open. He didn't care that he didn't finish his meal, he had to put a stop to this and find answers. He stood up, and, without acknowledging Brock or Max, he ran out of the restaurant. His eyes scanned the crowd for May, but he lost sight of her. Frustration began to build up in his body, and, for the first time in his life, he felt completely lost and hopeless.

"No, no, no, NO!" He yelled, getting louder progressively. "WHERE ARE YOU, MAY!"

People around him were giving him strange looks, but he didn't care one bit. The only thing that mattered to him was May, and now he couldn't find her. Slowly, he felt as though he was losing sanity, and that this whole situation with Ash was making him lose himself in hatred.

"Okay...calm down, Drew." He told himself, breathing heavily. "Let's consider the circumstances. For all I know, I could simply be envisioning them holding hands, and that none of this happened. Or, Ash forced May into this situation, and May had no choice but to hold hands with him. Yeah, that's got to be it. There's...there's absolutely no way she would leave me for him...right?" He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to fully calm himself. Even though he didn't realize it, he was beginning to lose his judgment, and it would only go downhill for him.

He opened his eyes and smirked. "No, there's no way she would leave me for him. I should take her out as soon as possible, then she'll be with me."

"Hey, Drew! There you are!"

The coordinator turned around to see Brock and Max walking toward him.

"What was with the sudden running off?" Max asked, looking up at Drew.

"Oh, no, it was nothing, really," Drew said, his voice growing more and more confident, "I was simply taking some fresh air and recollecting my thoughts."

Brock and Max looked at each other, knowing there was much more than that, but they decided not to push him.

"Well, now that we're done eating, what now?" Max asked.

"Well, you two can do whatever you want, I'll be looking for May." Drew answered, crossing his arms.

"Well good luck with that. She could be anywhere with Ash." Brock spoke up.

"Pfft. Ketchum, that insignificant, inferior brat." Drew muttered to himself, then began walking away on his quest.

Once Drew was far away and out of view, Max looked up to his friend and sighed.

"I really don't know how I'm gonna be able to tolerate that guy in our room; his attitude and demeanor stink." Max groaned.

"Well, if he knows what's good, May is virtually only focused on Ash, meaning that he has very little to no chance of being with her." Brock stroked his chin. "Plus, I get the feeling that Ash and May have accomplished quite a lot within these few hours."

"Hopefully they have. They'd be stupid not to take advantage of this time." Max said.

"I wouldn't worry about them. I trust they know what they're doing."

* * *

"Ahhh, here we are." May breathed.

The familiar sight of the grand hotel appeared before them, and they walked through the doors. They entered the elevator and quietly rode up until they reached their floor. Walking along the hallways, Ash reached for the handle of the door to their room and opened it, allowing May to enter first. Enjoying the kind gesture, May pecked Ash on the cheek and walked inside. After flipping on the light switches, May set down the cake in the miniature refrigerator before flopping down onto the bed in exhaustion. Similarly, Ash placed the plushy next to May and flopped down onto the same bed by May's side. Pikachu simply lay in between his two human companions and breathed in a sigh of relief.

"Well, after such a long day, I kinda feel content just laying here and sleeping like this." May said, turning her head to face Ash.

"Yeah, I kinda feel the same, but we still have to wash up, considering we went into the ocean and all that." Ash brought up. "So, in that case, do you want to shower first?"

"Yeah, I guess so. I'll be right back." May replied, quickly moving toward Ash to kiss him before getting her clothes and closing the bathroom door behind her.

Ash was still having trouble processing those kisses from May, as they surprised him and raised many strong feelings of desire. His lips curled into a smile as he touched the spot he felt May kiss with his fingers.

"Man, this has to be one of, if not, the best day of my life." Ash said to no one in particular, still laying on May's bed.

Pikachu crawled next to Ash's head and began patting him in congratulations.

"Pika, pikapi." The Pokémon grinned.

"Thanks, Pikachu. Say, seeing as how you were the one to set us up, in a way, I'm kinda curious. How long did you know that she had a thing for me?" Ash scratched beneath Pikachu's chin, earning a soft, happy coo.

"Chu, pika Pikachu." Pikachu replied.

"Oh, wow, she was interested from way back then, huh. I always knew she cared about me, but not by that much. All I can say is that I'm so thankful to have her in my life, and I truly wish that we will live a long, happy relationship." Ash smiled, thinking about May.

"Pika, pikachu?"

"Oh, Brock and Max? I'm pretty sure they'll find out soon enough that May and I are now together. As for Drew, he's gonna have it hard. Hopefully, he won't be too mad and lose all judgment. That can be ugly."

"Pikachu."

"Yeah, I guess I shouldn't worry to much about it."

* * *

May hummed while taking off her clothes and setting them aside. Walking to the shower stall, she turned on the shower. Once the water for the shower was a comfortable temperature, she stepped in and began scrubbing various parts of her body. Now that she had a boyfriend, she wanted to keep as clean as possible, not that she wasn't before. She became more self-conscious and wanted to be as presentable as possible to Ash.

As she continued to wash herself, like many people who take showers, her thoughts drifted on and about, imagining perfect scenarios for herself and Ash in the upcoming days. She could spend all day with Ash tomorrow at the amusement park, riding everything there is, and eating at all the cuisines on the boardwalk. She remembered seeing a movie theater before, so they could watch a nice romantic movie together. May giggled, imagining all the cute things she could do with Ash in the theater, such as snuggling up against him and stealing kisses every now and then.

"Ahhh, this is the best day of my life." May breathed out while thoroughly washing her hair. "I finally got the boy of my dreams, and now I can do all sorts of fun activities with him."

After a couple more minutes of washing up, May turned off the shower and stepped out, drying her wet body and hair. She glanced at the mirror to the side and smiled at her reflection, seeing the growth of when she first started on her adventure to now, where her life felt complete with Ash.

May began putting on her nightwear, which consisted of an overly large shirt and short shorts, and opened the bathroom door. Ash looked up and smiled at May, who returned the gesture. May noticed that Ash was still on her bed, so she decided to play with him.

"Well, look who's trying to take over my bed." May grinned, climbing into bed next to Ash.

"Well, after laying down here, it just became too comfortable for me to leave." Ash defended himself.

"That's nice, considering how we can spend more time together..." May said seductively, snuggling up against Ash. Ash noticed May's lips closing in on his, so he expectingly lowered his eye lids and waited for the kiss. He waited, but he didn't feel anything. He opened his eyes and saw May smirking at him, with her fingers lightly tapping on his nose. "...but that can wait after you take a shower, Ashy."

Ash groaned and jokingly whined to May about getting played, receiving giggles from the brunette. Afterward, he got up from bed with Pikachu and walked into the bathroom.

* * *

"I'm gonna turn in for the night. G'night, Brock" Max groggily said, turning over the covers of the bed on himself.

"Good night, Max."

Brock, too, was beginning to feel sleep overcome him. As he was about to head to the sofa to sleep, he heard the door open. Brock turned to see Drew nonchalantly walk in and close the door behind him.

"Hey, Drew, I was beginning to wonder when you would be coming back." Brock said.

"No need to worry about me." Was all Drew responded with.

"Okay...well I'm going to sleep now, so good night."

"Night."

Drew sat on his bed, contemplating. Tomorrow, he planned to visit all of the beach with only May, and after what would be a great day of catching up with each other and hanging out, he would present her with a bundle of roses, spilling his feelings for her. While most people would feel insurmountable stress and pressure about revealing emotions for a loved one, Drew didn't feel any of that. He felt only confidence and pride, doubting that May would turn him down. He began smirking and decided that he would catch up on sleep to begin the next day.

* * *

Ash had taken a bath with Pikachu, cleaning his fur for any dirty spots. When he deemed they were both clean, he drained the bathtub and climbed out. He began drying himself off, as well as Pikachu, and he put on his clothes for the night. They walked out to see May climbing under the covers of her bed.

"Hey, Ash," May waved, "I'm going to sleep now, so good night."

"Okay, May, but after I do this." Ash walked up next to her. He leaned on the mattress and lowered his face, pecking May on the forehead. May smiled, and before Ash could stand up, she planted a kiss on his lips. Ash blushed and delicately caressed her cheeks. "Sweet dreams." Ash smiled, standing back up. When he turned around, he saw his loyal partner nonchalantly laying dead center on his bed. Pikachu had the covers tucked neatly below his head, and he grinned at Ash.

"Pika!" He greeted.

"Hey, what are you doing, Pikachu?" Ash began climbing into bed, only to see Pikachu sparking around the cheeks.

"Pi!" Pikachu pointed at May, who was laughing at their interactions.

"Pikachu, you aren't kidding, right?" Ash asked, receiving a head shake from Pikachu in response. "What if I take the sofa?"

The electricity in Pikachu's cheeks intensified, letting Ash know to sleep with May.

"Okay, fine."

Ash walked up next to May and looked pleadingly at her.

"May, is it alright if I sleep with you? Pikachu doesn't want me to be anywhere else." He asked quietly.

May playfully hesitated, as if thinking about his request.

"Okay, you may sleep with me...on one condition." May spoke with a serious tone.

"W-what would that be?"

"Cuddle with me, of course!" May grinned, patting the spot next to her.

Ash obeyed and got under the covers with May. Immediately after he settled down, he felt May pressing her body close to his, holding his arm close to her breast and her head contently laying on top of his chest. Ash chuckled, kissed her hair, then reached for the light switch next to him, turning off the lights.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Notes:**

 **Hey there, everyone! Thank you all so, so much for all the favorites, follows, and reviews. I can't say this enough, but it is such a humbling feeling knowing that you enjoy my content, and this really motivates me to write more.**

 **There isn't much more to say except to please review and enjoy the chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon**

* * *

 **Chapter 11**

Ash found himself to be standing in front of a large crowd of people inside a large building. The audience was seated in benches, and everyone was wearing formal clothes. He could make out the faces of Pikachu, Brock, Max, Misty, Gary, Delia, Professor Oak, and many other people he had met along his journey, and they were all smiling at him and tearing up from happiness.

Ash scanned his body to find himself wearing a black tuxedo with a boutonnière. He seemed uncomfortable for a bit in these clothes, for formal clothing was never something he liked to wear.

" _Why am I wearing something like this?_ " He wondered. " _What's the occasion? And why am I standing in_ _front of everyone here_?"

He heard the sound of an organ playing, and his eyes widened in realization.

" _Am I getting married_?" He asked himself. " _But to whom_?"

Just then, the sound of doors opening echoed throughout the room, and everyone shuffled in their seats to look at who was now walking in the center aisle. Ash glanced at a young woman who was clad in an elegant white dress that touched the floor. The raven-haired boy grew a smile as he saw a familiar brunette walking towards him.

" _May. I'm getting married to May_." Ash's heart paced from excitement.

May stopped by Ash's side, and they were greeted by the officiant. The trainer was only focused on the woman beside him, draining out the words that the officiant was saying. It was only until he heard the vows that he began to pay attention. When the vows were exchanged, and when officiant announced that the two of them could seal their relationship, Ash pulled himself close to May and kissed, hearing the applause of the crowd. One thing was for sure: that May meant the world to Ash, and he couldn't imagine life any other way.

* * *

The bright rays of the sun shimmered through the curtains of the hotel room, awaking May. She yawned softly and glanced at the still-sleeping boy next to her. She noticed his hair was more unruly than ever and that he was breathing softly in his sleep. May giggled and gently kissed his cheek. Upon doing so, Ash, who was still asleep, grew a smile and pulled May closer to him, causing May to blush. Like him, she wrapped her arms around his waist and positioned herself so their heads would lay directly next to each other, touching. Soon enough, the warmth and comfort that Ash was providing her made her drowsy, and the next thing she knew, she fell asleep.

On the bed next to theirs, Pikachu began to stir, flailing his paws and legs and kicking the covers off of himself in the process. He stretched and looked at his two human companions. He grinned, satisfied by the results of Ash and May's relationship, as seen with how close they were sleeping together.

Just then, Pikachu heard several knocks from their door. Seeing as how Ash and May were unable to get the door in their current state, the Pokémon jumped off the bed and ran to the door. He leapt off the ground and grabbed the door handle with his paws, causing it to open. He dropped down to greet Brock on the outside.

"Oh, hey, Pikachu!" The breeder said. "I was just wondering if everyone was awake to start the day, since Max and Drew are in the cafeteria, but seeing as how you were the one to open the door, I'm guessing that Ash and May are still asleep, right?"

"Pika pika!" Pikachu nodded, then motioned for Brock to enter the room. Brock followed him in until he laid eyes on the bed.

"Whoa, I knew that something must have happened between them last night, but I certainly was not expecting this!" Brock gaped.

Pikachu jumped onto the bed with his companions and was about to shake them awake until Brock spoke up.

"We should let them sleep for a bit longer since they would want to be alone with each other for as long as possible," Brock whispered, "In the meantime, do you want to join me for some breakfast? I'll leave them a note on our whereabouts."

Pikachu nodded and walked out of the room after Brock left the note on the table.

* * *

Ash slowly opened his eyelids as he now realized it was morning. He looked to his side to see May's head resting in the crooks of his shoulder and touching the side of his head. He noticed how her arms were around his waist and how his own arms were in a similar fashion around May's. The memories from last night flooded through his mind, reminding him the happy times with May. He leaned in close to her face and was about to kiss her, but he didn't know if this qualified as "taking advantage" over an unconscious girl.

" _Dang, this whole relationship thing is confusing_." He thought. " _Hopefully I get this stuff down soon_."

Ash sat up, leaving the comforts of May as he was thinking about what to do and what not to do in a relationship. As soon as he did, he noticed that May seemed restless, so he laid back down next to her, making her feel cozy.

After several minutes of staying in this comfortable position, Ash gently nudged May to wake her.

"May, it's time to get up." He spoke softly. As he continued to nudge her, May moaned, stretching her arms and yawning.

"Morning, May." Ash grinned.

They both sat up in bed and looked at each other.

"Good morning to you, too," May yawned again, "but I was hoping to sleep in a little longer with you." May fake pouted.

Ash couldn't help but chuckle as he saw the cute, adorable face she was putting up.

"Don't worry, we'll still have each other for the rest of the day." Ash leaned in for a kiss but hesitated, unsure if he was appearing too desperate or pushy.

May understood what he was thinking and kissed him on the cheek in hopes of getting Ash to become more comfortable with her.

"You do know that you can kiss me whenever, right? After all, we are in a relationship now." May grabbed hold of his hands to soothe him.

"I-sorry, I'm not good with this stuff." Ash smiled sheepishly, then pecked her on the lips.

"That's more like it." May said, then looked at the bed next to theirs, noticing that a certain Pokémon was missing. "Hey, where's Pikachu? I have to thank him for last night."

They both got up from bed and looked around. Eventually, they came across the note that was left on the table.

"Hey, check this out," Ash held the paper, "it says that Pikachu is out for breakfast with everyone else, and for us to...take as long as we need to...uh...get accustomed to each other. Signed, Brock."

Ash and May stared wide-eyes at each other and blushed.

"Well, it looks like Brock knows we are together now." May said. "Did he see us sleeping together?"

"Probably. Pikachu must've let him in and then left to eat breakfast." Ash concluded. "Well, how about the both of us get ready to start the day?"

"Yeah, you're right! And then, we can do all sorts of activities together! It'll be so romantic!"

Ash chuckled as he prepared his belongings for the day.

* * *

Ash and May walked into the cafeteria of the hotel and noticed Brock, Drew and Max sitting at the corner of the dining area. It appeared that they were almost done, so the couple each quickly grabbed two full plates of muffins, pancakes, waffles, and cookies. They sat themselves down with their friends and immediately began to stuff their faces.

As they ate, Max noticed how touchy and mushy Ash and May were with each other, occasionally seeing them play footsies under the table and playfully nudging each other. Putting two and two together, he decided to play with them.

"It seems to me that Ash had a terrible time with May last night, seeing as how happy he is stuffing himself here." Max teased. "Tell me, how can you still be sane with her around?"

"You...stupid...ignorant...little...brat!" May screamed, standing up and reaching across the table to lift her brother up and off the ground.

"May, calm down, you know that Max is only joking, right Max?" Ash tried to restrain the girl next to him.

"No, I'm not!" Max choked out, but realized that he made a fatal mistake in pushing his sister too far; May was now violently shaking his dangling body around, making him lose his breath.

"May, stop! You're hurting him!" Ash wrapped his arms around May's midsection from behind, effectively pulling her close to his chest. Drew appeared disgusted, nearly puking after witnessing this.

May dropped the boy, who whimpered and took in deep breaths. The brunette then realized that she had almost killed her brother, so she kneeled down to Max's level and hugged him.

"I'm so sorry, Max! I didn't mean to do that!" She cried out. "I was so mad that I didn't know what I was doing!"

Max, who was somewhat shaking, hugged May back.

"Don't worry, M-May, I probably deserved it." He uttered. He then leaned close to her ear, whispering. "Congrats about getting with Ash, by the way."

May blushed, then separated from Max, nodding in thanks.

They resumed eating their breakfast, and when they finished, they exited the hotel into the bright, warm outdoors. They walked onto the boardwalk in no particular direction, admiring their surroundings and figuring out what to do next. While they were thinking of possible activities to partake in, Drew decided that now was the time to execute his plan. Noticing that Ash, Brock and Max were preoccupied with deciding their next location, he pulled May to the side and spoke.

"May, I was thinking that you and I could take this day for ourselves, considering how those three have no idea what to do." Drew calmly said.

" _Well, I was kinda hoping that we could all hangout together, or more specifically, Ash and I spending some quality time with each other, so I don't think I can go along with this idea_." May thought.

"Sorry, Drew, but I think I'd rather us all stay together and have fun." She said.

Drew seemed unfazed, as he was still confident in convincing May to be with him.

"I strongly recommend you reconsider this offer, for I know of some places we can visit and spend time appropriately." He flicked his hair in an arrogant manner.

May still wouldn't budge, not fully trusting her rival.

" _There's something off about him_ ," May thought, " _he's never been this persistent before...what is he_ _trying to do?_ "

"Drew, if I may ask, why are you so determined to spend the day with me?"

"I simply want to spend the day with a fellow coordinator," Drew wrapped an arm around May's shoulder and began guiding her away, "and, considering how we both are top coordinators, it would make sense if we stick together and become more acquainted. After all, since I have more experience in the field of coordinating, I can teach you some valuable lessons. And when I say that, I mean real coordinating, unlike that twisted and disgraceful training from Ketchum."

That set May off. She pushed Drew's arm off and slapped him hard across the cheek, making an imprint of her hand on his skin. The sound was so loud it echoed across the boardwalk.

"Don't you ever talk down about Ash, got that?" May furiously pointed at Drew. "He is just as good of a coordinator as you, even me, and I don't care if his coordinating style isn't traditional. It's unique and interesting, and it has gotten me quite a bit of success, so I would never trade that. As for your offer, I am certain about my answer."

"May, Drew, what's going on?"

The two coordinators turned around to see Ash, Brock, Max, and Pikachu running toward them.

"We heard what sounded like a really loud slap, and...hey, Drew, what the heck happened to your face?" Max asked, pointing at the hand imprint.

"That, everyone, is a wake up call." May stated in a as-a-matter-of-fact tone, crossing her arms.

"I'm not going to ask what that's for, since it's none of my business, but how about we hit the amusement park now?" Brock suggested, trying to lighten the tension.

"Yeah, let's go!" Everyone else but Drew exclaimed.

As they started to head over to their next location, Drew still stood where May rejected his offer...his plans...his chance. As he stood, some people around him were pointing fingers at him, mocking him or criticizing him for what they believed to be his harassing of May.

His eyes glared a hole into the back of Ash and May's heads as they walked away. He certainly never expected this amount of backlash against him, and by May of all people.

" _May...how could you humiliate me like this?! How could you stick up for that brat_?!" The gears in Drew's brain went into overdrive. Emotions clouded him, and he couldn't think straight. His pupils began pulsating, and his fingers were coiled into fists. It was only after a few minutes that he recollected himself.

" _Okay, okay, I'm over exaggerating_." He desperately tried to tell himself. " _I...I should watch what I say in_ _front of May more often. She's probably very irritated by me, so I can't have her despise me. I've got to control myself so I don't become entirely blinded by my emotions. I feel...I feel like I'm slowly losing who I am...and I don't know what I'm becoming_." He shook his head, disregarding the negative thoughts in his mind. " _I should look for the others, since I've been standing here the whole time_."

* * *

Ash and May walked hand-in-hand in front of Brock and Max. As they were busy conversing with themselves, Brock and Max snickered at how much things have changed between the trainer and the coordinator.

"Gee, after this many years of traveling with him, I thought he would never learn to get together with a woman! And here I am, still looking for the love of my life..." Brock started crying.

"Get a hold of yourself, Brock. It's not like the end of the world." Max patted his back.

"It is when the densest person in the world has a girlfriend before I do." Brock sniffed. "And I'm a specialist when it comes to women! I'm all about romance, yet they never seem to like me!"

"Maybe it's because you freak them out before they get a chance to know you." Max pushed up his glasses.

"But why is that?" Brock stared pleadingly into Max's eyes.

"Never mind." Max replied. "Maybe you should ask Ash how he got with my sis."

"No thanks, that would be embarrassing to do."

"Here, I'll ask for you." Max ran up ahead.

"W-wait, Max! Stop!" Brock yelled out, chasing after him, but it was too late; Max had already reached the couple, and he was tugging on Ash's arm.

"Ash, I was wondering..." He asked aloud so Brock could hear, "how did you and my sis get together?"

Ash blinked a few times before turning a deep shade of red, squeezing May's hand.

"We-we, I...when we were at the park...ferries wheel..." Ash spoke quickly, unable to speak normally. May laughed at Ash's behavior and decided to fill in for him.

"Well, when you were in the arcade, Ash and I got a couple snacks, and then we went to the park. We rode on a couple rides, and then we went to the Ferris Wheel. There..." May smiled dreamily, remembering her moment with the trainer. "...we spilled our emotions for each other, mostly because of this guy over here!" May began scratching Pikachu under the chin, earning a cute squeal.

"It appeared as though Pikachu was a puppeteer, trying to get us together." Ash smiled, petting Pikachu on the head.

"That's cool, but, Ash, I never thought that you would be able to possess feelings for a girl." Max questioned.

"Let's just say that it's all a miracle." Ash rubbed the back of his head.

"...did you two kiss?" Max raised an eyebrow.

Ash and May blushed simultaneously, avoiding the looks of Max and Brock. Max grinned, already knowing the answer.

"Well you guys can have fun and all, but you two better not overdo it and accidentally make a baby." Max placed his hands on his hips.

"MAX!" May exclaimed, completely red.

"Ha, I'm just joking!" Max laughed. "But really, please don't display affection for each other that often, at least not in front of me, because I don't want to be scarred for life."

"Yeah, we'll be sure to do that just for you!" May said sarcastically while pulling Ash closer to her and kissing him on the cheek. Max gagged and dropped down onto his knees for dramatic effect.

"Oh, man, May, that is exactly what I told you not to do!" Max pouted, before getting pulled up by Brock.

"Alright, that's enough, and Max, that's what you get for starting the conversation!" Brock tousled Max's hair.

"Well, at least you have some new insight on entering a relationship, right?" The boy asked.

"Heh, maybe..." Brock replied, thinking hard about the subject.

The group continued walking until they reached the entrance to the amusement park. There, they admired the impressive structures of roller coasters that looped in various shapes, and they they saw one that featured many hills and spirals. On said roller coaster, the group thought they saw someone on the ride puke over the side onto an unsuspecting child's ice cream. The child cried and ran into the comforts of his parents, who rubbed his back.

"Let's go on that one!" Ash declared. "I want to experience the thrill!"

"Me too! It looks like fun!" May agreed.

Max examined the varying heights of the structure and the speed at which the roller coaster trains were going, and decided that it was in his best interest not to go.

"I'll pass. I really don't want to get sick and throw up." He said.

"That's fine. I'll stay with you, while Ash and May can go on ahead." Brock reassured Max, then turned to the trainer and coordinator. "We'll wait for you by the bench next to the ride."

"There's no need to wait for us. You guys can look at other rides. We'll meet up eventually." Ash recommended.

"And Max, I think I saw a smaller roller coaster nearby, so you should at least be able to ride that." May suggested.

"Thanks, sis. We'll see you guys later." Max said as he and Brock turned around to explore.

When Brock and Max disappeared within the crowd of tourists, May linked her arm through Ash's, gaining his attention.

"You know, I get the feeling that we always end up by ourselves, without Brock, Max and Drew. But I'm not complaining whatsoever." May grinned, squeezing the trainer's arm.

"Maybe it's so we can have time for ourselves." Ash winked.

Pikachu made kissy faces on Ash's shoulder, followed by a poorly managed seductive "Piiiiiiikaaaaa."

"Come on, buddy! Enough of that!" Ash blushed, trying to get Pikachu to stop teasing him.

"Come on, let's get in line for the ride before it gets too long!" May giggled.

As the couple waited in line, a green-haired coordinator passed by them, searching for them both. They never noticed each other, and Drew continued to run, searching and searching.

Before they knew it, the trainer and coordinator made it to the front of the line and seated themselves in the first row. They strapped themselves in, and, fortunately for them, the ride also allowed for smaller Pokémon, so Pikachu got strapped to a smaller seat in between Ash and May.

The couple grinned at each other, waiting for the start of the exciting ride. When all the preparations were completed, the roller coaster blasted off at immense speeds. Ash and May screamed with joy, gripping tightly to their straps. They first overcame a relatively tall hill, before the hills became increasingly taller and taller. When they neared the highest point in the ride, they could hear someone behind them, screaming, "I want my mommy! Help!"

The ride slowed down at the top to showcase the massive drop that would inevitably come. Tourists, Pokémon and buildings beneath them appeared tiny, stirring panic among the riders. People in the back cursed out loud, and one person began to cry from being overwhelmed.

"Are you ready, Ash?" May called out, looking at the drop before them.

"Yep, I'm so ready!" Ash answered.

The ride abruptly stopped, where in this time, people regretted ever thinking about going on the roller coaster. Before they knew it, the roller coaster train sped up to insanely high speeds while going down the track. Because of the sudden change in velocity, one unfortunate fellow vomited off the side of the ride. Conveniently, or inconveniently for those who stood underneath the track, the puke landed straight onto the shoes of a certain green-haired coordinator. Drew stood wide-eyed with a face of horror, staring at his shoes, before screaming and running to the closest bathroom and shoe store.

Ash and May screamed out with joy as they found themselves to be spiraling around and going down sudden drops. As fun as it was, the ride quickly reached the end, prompting the couple to leave and find a new ride.

"Dang, that was super fun." Ash stretched his arms out while walking. "Too bad the ride was short."

"Pikaaaa." Pikachu agreed, somewhat nauseous.

"Well, good thing there are other cool rides." May beamed, then pointed at a structure off in the distance where a capsule was launched high into the sky before bouncing up and down on the cables it was attached to. "Look, let's go on that!"

"Yeah, let's go!" Ash exclaimed, taking May's hand and leading her. They eased their way passed the crowd and arrived at their destination.

May looked up, rubbing her eyes. She didn't expect the thing to be this massive at about one hundred meters tall. She gulped, then felt the reassuring touch of Ash's arm around her shoulders.

"May, if you don't want to ride it, then we don't have to. We can look for something else." He said, sensing May's nervousness.

"Thanks, Ash, but it's okay, we can go on it." May spoke confidently.

"Okay, that's the spirit!" The trainer pumped his fist up, with Pikachu doing his traditional victory pose with his paws.

They ran to the slingshot ride and got inside the cage. There, they found two human-sized seats and one smaller seat for a Pokémon, so they tucked in Pikachu and patted him on the head. Next, the trainer and coordinator strapped themselves in and awaited the countdown. Slowly, the cage pulled back, and when the countdown hit "zero," the capsule quickly shot upward. The three screamed as they felt the adrenaline. Their hair and ears, in Pikachu's case, flopped around wildly as they gained altitude. At one point, May could have sworn that Ash fainted a little during the launch, but then the trainer became conscious and yelled for joy. Pikachu flailed his paws and feet around while experiencing the thrill.

The capsule reached it's highest point and began to fall back down. While the capsule began to steady out, the three ride enthusiasts laughed and cried with happiness. After several minutes, the capsule lowered to the ground, allowing them to leave.

"Man, that was the craziest ride yet!" Ash exclaimed.

"Yeah, I can tell, since you fainted on the way up inside the cage!" May teased, tapping Ash on the tip of the nose.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about!" Ash denied.

"Oh, lighten up! It's natural if you pass out!" May squeezed his arm.

"Okay, okay. Hey, actually, I need to quickly use the bathroom, since all that breakfast and physical activity don't mix well. Do you mind looking after Pikachu while I go? I don't think he can tolerate the smells of public bathrooms."

"It's no problem. I'll be waiting outside for you." May grinned.

"Thanks!" Ash kissed May on the cheek before going inside a nearby facility.

May patiently stood outside with Pikachu on her shoulder. To pass time, she decided to take him in her arms and cradle him, gently scratching underneath the chin and behind the ears.

"Chaaaaa." Pikachu cooed.

"Glad you like it." May smiled. "Oh yeah, I never thanked you for what you did last night. It made my world so much brighter, and now my heart feels so complete with Ash. Thank you for providing confidence in me. Without you, I don't think I could have brought myself to tell him. Thank you."

Pikachu got up and stood back in his original spot, where he began nuzzling May's cheek with his own. May giggled, until she felt a presence behind her. She turned around to see Drew, who appeared to be out of breath after running up to her. Pikachu immediately began growling at Drew.

"Hello, May." He simply greeted, ignoring Pikachu.

"Hey, Drew, did you come here to apologize?" She asked with a stern face.

"Yes," he nodded, "I came here looking for you to say that I am sorry for the terrible things I've said about Ash."

May still looked unconvinced, saying, "you're apologizing to the wrong person. You should apologize to Ash when he comes out of the bathroom."

"I will, in order to make amends with you. All I ask is to regain your trust and respect." He stated.

"Why should I consider you?" She asked, crossing her arms.

"Because...because..." at this point, Drew became desperate, not thinking straight and unable to keep his composure. "...it's because you mean something special to me. Throughout my life, I have never met anyone as skilled and talented as you. Not only that, but your personality is contagious, for it can bring a smile to anyone. And let's not forget that you are the definition of beauty, and because you have captured my heart, I must say that..." Drew pulled out a bundle of roses, offering them to May, "...I love you."

After Drew had pulled out the roses, a crowd of people formed around them, excited about a proposal. Now the pressure was on May, and she had never felt this terrible. She realized that she would have to reject her rival, which is already a terrible feeling, but also in front of a group of strangers. Pikachu sensed the pressure within May and nuzzled her cheek in hopes of helping her out.

"Drew...I...I don't know what to say." Was all she could say.

Drew, thinking that May was only becoming nervous from mutual feelings, walked toward her.

"You don't have to, because I know how you feel." He said, beginning to pull her in for a kiss. The crowd was now cheering, but before Drew could kiss her, May pushed him away. The crowd gasped, and Drew froze from her actions.

"Drew, I can't...I cant return those feelings. I'm sorry, but...I don't feel the same way...and because...I love someone else." May spoke quietly, hating every moment. She wished she could have been somewhere else, but now, here she was, in this nightmare.

Drew still hadn't moved a muscle, staring straight into May's eyes. He could see that she meant everything she said, so he clenched his fists, breathing heavily.

"...is it...Ash?" He asked, almost not wanting to hear the answer.

May nodded, then walked toward him. "Drew, I'm so sorry you had to find out this way. Really, I am." She put a hand on his shoulder. "We're...we're still friends, right?"

Drew didn't answer, for he was still in shock. It was only until he saw the looks of the people in the crowds and Pikachu, who reminded him of the person he now truly hated with all his might, when he shrugged off May's hand and did the only thing he could think of: run. He dropped the roses and ran away, with the thoughts of humiliation, embarrassment, anger, and regret in his mind.

May didn't expect Drew to just run off. She felt horrible for possibly losing one of her friends. By then, the crowd had dispersed, and Ash had just returned from his short break.

"Hey, May, ready to..." Ash began, then noticed the saddened look on her face. "May, what's wrong?"

May sniffled before running to Ash, capturing him in an embrace. She started crying, and Ash tried to soothe her by gently rubbing her back.

"There, there, it's okay. I've got you. There's no need to be sad." He said in a calm voice.

May's crying softened, listening to his voice.

"Ash, it was terrible." She choked out. "Drew came, and then there was a huge crowd, and I had to reject him in front of everyone!" She sobbed, "and then, he left without saying a word! I feel like he no longer wants to be my friend, as if he hates me!"

"It's okay, he doesn't hate you. If he knows what's best, there's no way he could hate you." Ash reassured her, now cupping the back of May's head. "Just give him time, and then he'll have calmed down."

May nodded in his chest, slowly pulling herself together. She stopped crying, then pulled away from Ash. She saw the sincerity in his eyes, and she kissed him. This was the only thing that helped to calm her mind, as she now felt a sense of serenity from Ash.

"Thank you, Ash. Thank you." She said.

"Anytime. Whenever you need a shoulder to lean or cry on, just remember that you can always come to me." He embraced the brunette. "Now, how about we focus on something else and relax?" Ash suggested. "It certainly beats staying over here."

May smiled, grateful for Ash's comforting skills. She would have to make it up for him later.

"Yeah, I'd like that." She said.

* * *

Drew ran with tears in his eyes. He wasn't paying attention to where he was going, but he knew he just had to get away from here. From time to time, he'd accidentally knock into a person, but he didn't care. He just had to run.

" _How? How could this happen to me_?" He screamed inside his head. " _I though things were going my way, but May had to choose that brat and humiliate me! Now there's no point in staying here anymore! As soon as I grab my stuff from the hotel I'm lea_ -"

He accidentally ran into two people, knocking the three of them over. He rubbed his arm, which he had used to brace himself, before standing up and running, not even looking back at whomever he hit.

"Ow, that hurt!" A young boy with glasses complained.

"Yeah, who the heck did this?" A taller person with spiky brown hair rubbed his head which throbbed. They helped each other up and saw the shape of Drew running away from them, getting smaller and smaller in the distance.

"Was that Drew?" Max asked.

"Yeah, it looks like it. And from the looks of things, he doesn't seem too happy." Brock replied.

* * *

Drew hastily collected his belongings and ran out of the hotel doors. When he was outside, he took out a pokeball and threw it, summoning a large, green Pokémon with red eyes.

"Flygon, just get me the hell out of here. I don't care where, but just go somewhere." The coordinator commanded. Flygon sensed that its master was in the worst of moods, so it immediately obeyed, allowing Drew to climb on its back. They lifted off the ground and flew off into the distance.

Brock and Max had ran to the hotel just in time to see Flygon flying away with the coordinator on its back, and they realized the events that occurred.

"Oh boy, I wonder how May is taking it, since one of her friends and rivals left for good." Max stroked his chin.

"She's probably really devastated, but, hopefully, things will resolve in the future, and her wounds will be healed."


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note**

 **Hey, everyone! Thanks to all those who followed, favorited, and reviewed this story! Now, I had a question about if May is going to compete in contests soon, or if she already had all her ribbons, and all I can say is that for this particular story, I don't intend to write any Pokémon battles or contests. The truth is, I don't think I would be good at describing the battles. So for the sake of this story, there will be no contests. Sorry for those who are into that stuff. As for the ribbons, I guess May already has her ribbons. I don't know, really, so you decide!**

 **Also, I just want to address why it took me quite a long time to upload this chapter. Like most writers, I really struggled to find something to write about, something that fit in and flowed well with the rest of the story. At one point, while writing this, I felt so unsatisfied about where the chapter was going to the point that I scratched the idea and deleted it. So it kinda took me awhile to find something to write about.**

 **Aside from struggling to make up content for this story, I've been writing up a new story that has been on my mind for quite some time, so look forward to that!**

 **Enough of my rambling, Enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon**

* * *

 **Chapter 12**

It had been hours after Drew's untimely departure. While Drew flew away on the back of his Flygon, Ash tried his hardest to comfort May and distract her from the negative feelings that nagged her. Pikachu tried to pat May on the head while occasionally rubbing her cheek with his head. May would stifle her giggles before returning to her anxious feelings.

"He'll...he'll come back, right?" May quietly asked, looking up at Ash with pleading eyes.

Ash looked up at the sky, wondering the same thing. He had originally thought that Drew had left to clear his mind and take a moment for himself, but seeing as how much time had passed, he didn't know anymore.

"May," Ash wrapped a comforting arm around the coordinator, pulling her close, "I'll admit that I'm not too sure at this point..." Ash noticed the sadness in her eyes as she drooped her head, "...but if he doesn't come back by the end of the day, we can go out and search for him, if you want."

May lifted her head, considering the offer, then lowered her head again.

"I...I think we should leave him be." May said, "it's up to him if he wants to see me. It's all a disaster, but if he really doesn't want to come back, then we should make the most of the vacation, since we're supposed to relax and have fun."

Ash looked at May in surprise, not expecting her to just accept Drew's leave. He cupped May's cheek, making her look at his face.

"Are you sure?" He asked, receiving a nod. "Well, okay, that's that." They walked together around the park, soaking in the atmosphere. Since they had been exposed to sadness and unhappiness, Ash looked around for anything to lighten up the mood. In the meantime, he held May close to himself so their arms and shoulders stayed connected, and he constantly looked at May's face to see how she was holding up. Eventually, he became too troubled by the silence between them.

"May...I...I may not be good with this stuff, but...I hate to see you feeling so down like this..." Ash stopped walking and placed his hands on May's shoulders, "so...I feel like the only way for all this tension and stress to stop is to search for Drew. Even though I may not like him that much, I still feel that you and Drew need to come to terms with each other. This way, you will find your happiness...and I'll be able to see that beautiful smile again."

May looked into Ash's eyes and saw the sincerity in him. Understanding that Ash was willing to search for Drew to make her smile, she enveloped him in a hug, crying and tightly gripping Ash's clothes.

"Thank you, Ash, thank you." She sniffled out, "Thank you for being so selfless and caring for me, and I couldn't be more happier to be with you." May pulled away from Ash and kissed him with all her might. The build up of anxiety and stress was gone as she put every bit of passion she had into the kiss. Tears of happiness fell down her cheeks, and she held onto Ash as if her life depended on it.

May pulled away from Ash and smiled passionately into his eyes. Ash beamed as well, and for the time being, they stood in the now relieved atmosphere and enjoyed each other's company. When their stomachs grumbled, they laughed and started walking. For now, they would have to replenish their hunger, and then they would find and talk to Brock and Max about their plan.

* * *

"No, just keep moving! I need to get away from there!"

Flygon had been carrying Drew for the past few hours, and it was beginning to get worried about Drew's state of mind. Its trainer had never pushed it too far before, for he had a sense of humanity, but now, Drew just didn't seem like he could comprehend what he was doing. Flygon knew his master was experiencing immense emotional stress, and while it didn't want to disobey his orders, it was beginning to tire out. Flygon began to lower in altitude, much to its displeasure, and they crashed into a dense forest.

Drew's vision went black for several minutes, and when he woke up, he found himself lying on his back in a dark, tree infested area. His head throbbed, and confusion was what Drew was feeling. He looked over his body and winced as he felt stinging in his arms and legs. He felt a small amount of blood trickling down his cheeks, and he saw how leaves and branches were stuck to his clothes. Grunting, he shakily got up and surveyed his surroundings. From the tiny amount of light shining through the small gaps in the leaves above, he could make out the shape of his Flygon laying several meters away from him.

"How did I get here?" He wondered aloud, limping as he made his way toward his unconscious Pokémon. As Drew got closer, he saw the terrible state Flygon was in, with its numerous cuts and bruises. He pulled out Flygon's Pokéball and returned it, flashing a bright red light and consuming Flygon before making it disappear.

Drew stood still, clutching his head as he tried to remember what happened. The more he tried, the more he became frustrated, as he couldn't make any progress. Seeing as there was nothing else to do, he limped through the woods, trying to get an idea of where he was. As he continued to limp, he became hopeless and exhausted, sitting down and resting beside a tree.

"What now?" He asked himself, breathing hard while soothing his wounds, "Why am I here? Where is here?!" He began pounding the ground in frustration. "Damnit! I need answers!"

Looking to his side, Drew spotted a few rocks, and he chucked them with all his strength to relieve himself of anger. He threw them beyond the trees and shrubs nearby, all while grunting and cursing aloud. After he threw the last one, he heard the cry of a Pokémon, and he realized that he had to move quickly before he would be attacked. Drew quickly stood up and wobbled away, hurriedly. As he limped, he could hear the fluttering of wings coming from behind, giving him incentive to move faster.

"Damn, how the hell did I get myself into this?!" The coordinator growled in frustration. Because of how dimly lit the forest was, Drew failed to see the roots of nearby trees sticking out, and his foot got caught in them, causing him to fall down with a thud. He tightly gripped the grass near him, and he turned to look at the Pokémon that was chasing him. He squinted in the dark, and he could hear the fluttering of the wings getting closer and closer. He saw the shape of a butterfly-like Pokémon, and when the Pokémon flew into the sunlight, he could vividly see its large, blue eyes, its black antennas with rounded tips, and its yellow, blue, and red markings on its wings.

"No..." Drew gasped as he recognized the type of Pokémon flying before him. As Beautifly inched closer to him, flashbacks of a certain brunette coordinator flowed in his mind. He could see the cheerful girl with her calm, sweet sapphire eyes, the girl commanding her Pokémon on the battlefield, the girl flashing her contest ribbons, and...snippets of what had occurred just earlier. Drew groaned in pain as the horrid memories of being rejected in public kept showing up in his head. Even when he desperately shook his head to clear his mind of these depressing thoughts, he could always hear her...that line...that one line that forever broke his heart: " _Drew, I'm sorry..._ "

"May...how could you?" He growled, pulling on his hair, "How could you do this to me?! WHY?! WHY WOULD YOU LEAVE ME?!" Drew screamed out in anger.

Beautifly watched Drew with worry, sensing his incredible amount of rage and fury. While it didn't appreciate the rock that was hurled toward it, Beautifly didn't want to see such aggression in Drew.

"Beautifly." The Pokémon flew closer to the coordinator in hopes of comforting him.

Drew stood up with lividness shown all over his face. He gripped tightly onto a Pokéball and threw it down with force. The ball opened up to reveal a confused and weakened Flygon, who noticed the uncharacteristically large amount of fury written on its master's face.

"Flygon, use Flamethrower on that Beautifly!" Drew harshly commanded.

Flygon reluctantly turned to face the bug type and shot an intense blast of fire. Beautifly narrowly avoided the attack and started to fly away to avoid any danger, but Drew was not having it.

"Flygon, don't let it escape!" He screamed, "Take it out! Use Fire Blast!"

Flygon looked at the retreating shape of Beautifly and shook its head at Drew, not wanting to cause unnecessary trouble and pain.

"FLYGON, ATTACK IT!" Drew yelled with all his might, digging his nails into his skin, "DO IT, OR ELSE!"

Flygon hesitantly faced the direction of Beautifly and let loose a large blast of fire that spread out into a symbol with five tips. The flames burned through all the plant life that stood in its way, and Drew could see the horror in Beautifly's eyes as the flames edged closer to it.

Beautifly barely managed to avoid the attack, and it began to weave between the trees to lose its attacker. Drew's eyes were bulging out, and he hastily pointed his finger at the direction of the Beautifly.

"FLYGON, HIT IT! I WANT TO SEE IT FALL!" Drew yelled, his hair becoming messy and getting in his eyes, "BURN EVERYTHING IF YOU HAVE TO!"

Flygon let out a breath of all-consuming and uncontrollable fire, desperately trying to please its trainer. As it continued to breath fire, the Pokémon who lived here scurried and flew for their lives. The trees caught on fire, and the forest looked like a fiery corridor of death.

Drew watched with intent as the fire scorched everything in sight. The red hot flames reflected off of his eyes, and the curls of his lips grew into a sinister smile.

* * *

Ash and May walked out of an all-you-can-eat buffet, where they surprised all the customers and employees with their appetite, and they decided to search the amusement park for all the rides that Max could possibly be on. After looking for half an hour, and without sight of Brock and Max, they decided that the next best place they could be was in the hotel. They walked past all the tourists, Pokémon and shops, and they stepped into the lobby and into the elevator. After a few seconds of listening to the elevator music, they stepped out as the elevator doors opened, and they walked to the room next to theirs. Upon knocking on the door, a distressed Brock answered the door.

"Guys, you're probably not going to believe this, but-" Brock said before being interrupted

"Yeah, we know. Drew left." May said with sadness in her voice, "After he tried to ask me out, I had to reject him in front of everyone, and the last thing I knew, he was running away." She looked down at the ground, "He probably doesn't want to see me anymore. He hates me."

"May, don't say that. He couldn't possibly hate you." Ash reassured her while Brock nodded in agreement.

"Oh, where are my manners," Brock said, opening the door for his friends, "come on in."

Ash and May entered the room and saw the mess at one of the bed sides where Drew used to stay. The drawer next to the bed was pulled out, the items on the cabinets were misplaced and laying about, and the covers of the bed were crumpled up and thrown to the side. Max was sitting silently on his bed, and he waved at his sister and Ash. Pikachu jumped off of May's shoulder and plopped down onto the mattress next to Max.

"May, how are you holding up?" Brock asked as he motioned for her and Ash to take a seat.

"I'm fine, mostly because of Ash, but just the thought of being the reason that Drew left is pretty tough. I just hope that things settle out in the end." May replied.

The four sat in silence, not knowing what to say. Eventually, Ash remembered their task to inform Brock and Max of what they were going to do.

"Brock, Max," Ash spoke up, "May and I were thinking that we should go look out for Drew." He noticed the surprised looks from his two male companions, "I know that it seems kinda weird, but we really need to make sure that he is fine and that he won't do anything irrational. Plus, we need to establish that we are all friends, not enemies."

Brock scratched his chin while thinking about the plan and nodded.

"That's a good idea. Considering how aggressive he was when I last saw him, we need to do our best to help him." He agreed.

"Yeah, but how would we do that?" Max asked while petting Pikachu

"Well, Max, you saw how Drew was flying off away from the beach?" Brock asked, receiving a nod, "Well we can follow the same direction as him and hope that we find him."

"That's kind of a stretch, don't you think? Like, he could have traveled for a long time, so he could be very far away."

Everyone sat quietly, not knowing how to counter that point. For now, they could only hypothesize the extent of Drew's journey and any place that Drew would reside in.

"Although we don't know where he is planning to go, I think that LaRousse City is a pretty safe bet, or some unknown, secluded area to hide in." May suggested.

"Possibly. So if we just walk in the same general direction he went, we may be able to find him. I can even send out Swellow to look from above." Ash said.

"Okay, that sounds good. But when do we start?" Brock asked.

"We can start early tomorrow morning. In the meantime, we can prepare our belongings and enjoy our vacation for a little longer." May declared.

"Alright. We'll start tomorrow. Then, we'll help Drew."

* * *

A weakened and burned Beautifly laid on the ground, desperately trying to hold onto its life. The fire had begun to go out, leaving a huge field of dead, fallen trees and plants. For a long time, Beautifly had been trying to evade the attacks that came towards it, but eventually, it grew tired and was unable to avoid the flames.

SNAP

Beautifly tried to turn to look at who was coming after hearing the sounds of broken branches, but it didn't have the strength to. The echoes of the footsteps eerily haunted the deadly silent grounds, and the footsteps crunched on the dirt in an almost menacing way. Thunder cracked in the background, and rain drops fell heavily onto the ground. Through the deafening sounds of rain and thunder, Beautifly could still hear the footsteps, coming and coming, until it stopped right beside it. A hand violently grabbed its throat and slowly raised it to eye level.

"May...May..." The deranged coordinator kept repeating, slowly squeezing the Pokémon. "May...how...how could you? How could you...do this to me?" His voice cracked.

Beautifly just stared back, wanting to be free of pain. It saw Drew slowly raise his arm and fist, coiling back, and Beautifly closed its eyes. It waited, for it couldn't handle anymore pain. For awhile, they remained in that position while the rain fell harder. Lightning flashed the environment, and the Beautifly still waited for the strike.

Drew, who was once staring down the Pokémon with all his hatred, eased his grip and let go of the Pokémon. He dropped to his knees and sobbed into his palms. Beautifly watched on, still unable to move, and breathed a sigh of relief.

Drew began punching his thigh repeatedly. He punched, and he punched, and he punched, until he couldn't feel his leg anymore. He clutched his chest hard, where his heart pumped, and he hunched forward.

"What's happening to me?" He choked out, "How did I get myself into this situation?"

Drew continued to sob, feeling a large, ambiguous cloud of emotions. He wept, thinking about May, thinking about how he lost her, thinking about how she left him, thinking about how she hurt him...to be with Ash. He lurched backward, his teeth seething and his fists clenched.

"It's all because of May and that brat she loves! She brought me into this situation because she is stupid enough to fall for him!" Drew snarled. "May...how could you betray me! I thought we had something...but you had to ruin it by choosing that runt! May, you bitch!"

Drew began pounding on the dirt with anger while his knuckles began to bruise. He couldn't care less about the pain in his hands, for what he felt in his heart hurt more.

"May, you're gonna pay for this! I swear I will tear your life apart for breaking my heart!" Drew screamed, standing up and facing the thundering clouds. "May, you will pay and suffer! I will make you cry and dread the day you chose him over me! I swear it!"

And so, he ran. He ran on his pledge, his lust for revenge. And he ran in preparation to make her suffer.

* * *

Ash and May were about to head outside for dinner when they noticed the heavy rainfall and lightning flashes outside their window. They groaned in disappointment as they wanted to try all the different kinds of meals, so they settled for dinner at the cafeteria. Ash, May, and Pikachu, along with Brock and Max, went to the cafeteria and stacked their plates with pasta, spinach, and various kinds of meat. They sat themselves at a candle-lit table, and they ate quietly, well, except for the two living black holes when it comes to eating.

May looked at Ash as he stuffed his face. Giggling, she decided to steal a bit of food from his plate and put on an innocent, cute look as she ate. Ash chuckled and decided that he was going to have some fun, himself. He leaned in toward May for a hug, as if he couldn't handle how adorable May was, and as May breathed in the sweet scent of Ash's hair and enjoyed the comfort of hugging Ash, Ash reached his hand from behind May's back for her fork. He grabbed it, loaded it with pasta, and ate while still hugging May. Pikachu laughed, causing May to raise an eyebrow, and upon seeing Ash steal her food, she playfully slapped his arm and turned away from Ash, pouting. Ash laughed out loud for this bit of fun, then tried to get May to open up to him, only to receive a "humph" and no answer from the coordinator.

"May, please, I'm sorry for doing that!" Ash begged while gently tugging on May's arm, "I'm sorry, I'll never do it again, please?"

May briefly glanced at Ash, analyzing how desperate he was, before turning away and crossing her arms.

"May, I beg of you, please!" Ash cried out, hugging May from behind, while Brock and Pikachu laughed and Max gagged a little, "I'll make it up to you, I promise!"

As soon as he said that, a cold, dreadful feeling crossed his body as he realized what he said.

" _Oh, crap._ " He thought as May turned to meet him in his eye. He saw the widening grin on her face, and he gulped.

"Oh, Ash, of course I'll forgive you," May said, "as long as we watch romantic movies back in our room. It'll be so fun!"

Ash groaned while everyone else laughed at his predicament.

"Actually, since I can't wait to start, how about if we go now?" May asked.

Ash was about to say otherwise, then realized that it really wasn't much of a question to begin with as it was more like a command, and May grabbed his hand and waltzed out of the cafeteria, humming to herself. Pikachu decided to follow along to give support for his best friend, leaving Brock and Max behind.

"I swear, we're always being left behind." Max mumbled.

Brock shrugged his shoulders, for he was beginning to feel the same way.

"Would you rather be forced to watch chick flicks with your sister, or stay here, where it's safe?" The breeder asked.

"Oh, definitely here. I don't want to subject myself to torture." Max answered.

* * *

Along the way to their room, Ash was pleading for May to change her mind about the movies, but the brunette wasn't having it.

"Ash Ketchum! Are you going back on your word?" May placed her arms on her hips.

"Yes, I am-" Ash started before seeing May's eyes twitch, "No, I'm not." He submitted to her.

"Good! Now, enough wasting time, let's go!" May exclaimed, dragging Ash along.

Once they arrived in their room, Ash made the quick call to hide himself in the bathroom to avoid the movie.

"Er, May, I have to quickly use the bathroom!" He cried out as he bolted into the bathroom, leaving an agitated May behind.

Ash sat down on the lid of the toilet seat and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Phew, that was a close call." He said to himself, "Hopefully May isn't too mad at me."

Ash stayed in the bathroom for about ten minutes when he could faintly hear the sounds of crying coming from outside the door. Guilt flooded Ash's mind as he walked out of the bathroom and saw how distressed May was, sitting up on her bed and cuddled up in the covers. He saw Pikachu comforting her, and the moment the Pokémon saw Ash, he growled and sparked.

"May..." Ash slowly approached her, "May?"

Pikachu hopped onto the other bed and stared Ash down, making him uneasy. Ash sat down next to May and slowly rubbed her back in attempt to make her feel better.

"May...I'm...I'm sorry for that. I was just trying to have fun and avoid the movie, but I wasn't thinking about how you would take it. Please, May, I'm sorry." Ash spoke quietly.

He hugged May from the side and lightly kissed her cheek.

"May, if you want, we can watch the movie now. After all, I promised you that." He kissed May again, trying to gain her affection.

May looked Ash in the eyes and saw how watery and devastated they were, making him feel guilty again.

"I'll watch and forgive you..." May spoke up, "...as long as you stay here with me, on my bed, and cuddle with me."

Ash nodded and waited for May to turn on the TV, but she didn't. He turned to look at May, wondering what was happening.

"When I say 'stay here with me,' I mean under the covers with me." She clarified.

Ash gulped and slowly crawled in next to May. When Ash was laying comfortably with his back against the head of the bed, May rested her head and hand on Ash's chest. She turned on the TV to a channel she had already looked into. Her fragile, sad look was replaced by the smirk that plastered her face, as her plan worked once again.

" _May strikes again! With her amazing acting skills and talent, she was able to trick and convince her handsome boyfriend into cuddling up with her in bed while watching a movie!_ " May thought to herself. " _Now, to get nice and comfortable here..._ "

* * *

When the movie was finished, Ash tried to suppress a breath of relief. He started to get out of bed when he felt May's hand holding him in place.

"Where are you going?" She asked in a cute, innocent voice, "Please, don't leave me."

Ash saw the watery eyes and her look of sorrow, and he knew that he couldn't win against her. Whenever it came down to her cute, irresistible look, he couldn't bear to let her down.

"I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying here with you." Ash replied as he situated himself next to May again. May smiled and kissed Ash on the lips.

"Thanks, Ashy." She said, closing her eyes and enjoying the warmth and comfort that radiated from Ash.

Ash kissed her hair, and when the clock hit midnight, he flipped the light switch, and slept.


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey, everyone! Thanks for all the favorites, follows, and reviews! It always warms my heart knowing that people enjoy my story, and it really motivates me to continue writing!**

 **Now, things start to really go down chapter 13, so please bear with me and the next few chapters.**

 **Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon**

* * *

 **Chapter 13**

Drew continued to run in the night, still feeling the adrenaline and lust of exacting revenge on his rival. As he ran in the dark, he realized that the most effective way to crush May's dreams was to first isolate her from everyone else. He figured it would be easier if he got rid of that breeder and that annoying brother of hers. After they were taken cared of, Ash and May would be more vulnerable and easier to mold for his vengeful schemes.

Drew ran into a clearing and saw the lights of settlement in the distance. His eyes wondered onto a red building with a Pokéball insignia on it, and his lips curled upwards.

"Time to make a few phone calls..." He laughed heinously as he made his way toward the Pokémon Center.

* * *

May squirmed around in her sleep while breathing heavily. Sweat rolled down her face and she couldn't stop whimpering. Never leaving her dream was the horrible sight of the spot in the park, the spot where Drew ran away from her. She often found herself reliving that same exact moment where she saw the agonizing pain and anger in Drew's eyes, and time and time again, in her nightmare, Drew wore a face of unimaginable fury and hatred, all of which were directed toward her.

As May was about to break down and cry, the image changed, and the tourists in the background began to fade. The scenery darkened, leaving a small spotlight for May and her glaring rival. May could sense the tension as Drew breathed raggedly and dug his fingernails into his palms.

May could hear Drew's hurt voice echo in the air. Curses and whispers kept resonating in the confined space, and the voices escalated rapidly to the point that they became incoherent, all while May covered her ears in fear and despair. No matter what, the voices couldn't stop echoing, and May was on the verge of being overwhelmed. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to drain out Drew's voice, but her attempts proved fruitless.

The voices began to die down after many agonizing minutes, causing May to open her eyes and let go of her ears. After hearing several loud footsteps echoing, May saw Drew walking toward her. May tried to back away from him, only to find an invisible wall. As Drew kept walking to her in a terrifying manner, May collapsed to the ground and cried.

"Drew, I'm so sorry! I'm sorry, I really am! Please, forgive me! Don't hurt me!" She screamed as she cowered into a corner, crying into her hands.

When the haunting footsteps stopped right beside her, May felt a powerful, excruciating grip around her neck as she was forced up and dangling in the air at the mercy of Drew. She noted the cold, empty void in his eyes, and she saw his teeth seething as he put more pressure into his grip. May felt herself losing air rapidly as she tried to pry off Drew's hand from her neck, only to find her attempts useless. The last thing she saw was Drew's demonic smile as her vision began to fade.

"I will make you pay." Drew whispered into her ears, before May heard a loud crack and everything blacked out.

* * *

May shot up into a sitting position as she clenched her heart. She surveyed the environment and saw how she was back in her hotel room, sitting in bed in the dark. Memories of her nightmare flashed in her mind, causing tears to flow down her cheeks and eliciting loud whimpers. As she continued to cry, Ash woke up and turned his head towards the sound of her sniffling and whimpering. He sat up to look at May, only to become devastated as he saw the misfortune, fear, and despair in her eyes.

May felt the warm and comforting arms of Ash wrap around her, and she turned and cried into his chest, gripping onto his shirt and shoulder. She cried, wetting Ash's shirt in the process, but neither of them cared.

Ash embraced the girl in his arms, devouring her in a warm, radiating blanket of affection and comfort. His hand reassuringly rubbed May's back in circular motions while his free hand cupped the back of May's head as she continued to let out her tears. They remained in that same position for a long time, both not needing to speak as they embraced.

After minutes, May's crying died down, and she returned the affectionate hug by wrapping her arms around Ash's torso. Ash smiled as May began to calm herself. Although she was no longer crying, he didn't want to return to his sleep until May felt better and went to sleep first.

May didn't know how much time had passed, but now she was feeling sleep overcome her body. Giving in, she shut her eyes and resumed her normal breathing patterns. Ash, sensing that she was asleep, kissed her forehead as he gently positioned her back into bed. After he laid down, he held May by her waist, pulling her close, and slept.

* * *

The morning sunlight woke up the couple, reminding them to start the long day of searching for Drew. After they were done using the bathroom and changing into their normal clothes, they decided to check on Brock and Max to see if they were up and ready to eat breakfast. When they knocked on the door, the door opened to reveal a distressed Brock.

"Brock, what happened?" Ash asked, noticing his distraught behavior.

"Nothing good." Brock replied, then motioned for Ash and May to enter the room, "Some things turned up, and now it's up to you two to search for Drew."

"Wait, what do you mean 'it's up to you two?'" May inquired of Brock as they walked into the room.

"Well, this morning, we received a call from your parents," Brock sighed, "the point is, your parents are forcing Max to go back to Petalburg as soon as possible."

"What? Why?" May asked with curiosity.

"Mom and dad said that someone told them about how dangerous are adventures are, so now they want me home." Max grumbled from his bed.

"That's ridiculous! They can't just do that, right?" May spoke with frustration, "And who told them about how 'dangerous' our journey can get?"

"I don't know. I asked mom and dad, but they didn't answer back. They ignored me and just ordered me back home." Max said gloomily.

"...well, looks like we'll have to see you off at the ferry." Ash mumbled.

"Actually, I have to leave, too." Brock spoke up, causing everyone to become confused, "When I woke up, I noticed that there was a message in the videophone, and when I opened it up, the text said that there's an emergency in Pewter City Gym and that I should go quickly."

The room fell silent as they all took in the recent turn of events. May sat down on the sofa and rubbed her temples as she was disappointed with the news. Ash sat down beside her and rubbed her thigh to show that she wasn't alone.

"So...it's just us now?" May asked Ash with less confidence.

"Yeah, and Pikachu, too." Ash replied.

"Guys, I'm so sorry about this. I really am. So while you guys search for Drew, I'll try and come back as soon as possible, okay?" Brock said.

Ash and May nodded, then faced Max.

"Max, I hope everything goes well for you." Ash sighed, "convincing them to let you continue to journey with us will be pretty difficult, though."

"Yeah. But don't worry about me. Finish your mission first, then you can try and get me to travel." Max smiled.

Everyone nodded, then headed down for breakfast. After they were all fed, they gathered their belongings and headed outside. When they reached the boardwalk, Brock and Max faced Ash and May.

"You two go on ahead, while Max and I will head back." Brock said.

"Okay. See you soon, I guess." Ash said, not wanting to split paths with Brock like before. As Ash and Brock said their goodbyes, May squatted down to talk to her brother.

"Max, I hope everything goes well for you back home. I'll miss you." May hugged her brother.

"I'll miss you, too." Max hugged back, then separated.

Ash, May and Pikachu waved goodbye as Brock and Max walked away. Right before they could get out of distance of each other, they all waved again, before moving onto their separate ways.

Ash and May continued to look at the spot where they last saw their two other companions, before Ash held May's hand and led them in the direction of where Drew supposedly went.

"Well, May?" Ash began, "I guess this is it. We're by ourselves, now, and we have a lot to cover."

"Yeah, lets get going." May walked with Ash, while Pikachu sat contently on her shoulder.

As they left the beach and onto the grass and dirt, a thought crossed May's mind, causing her to smile.

"Hey, Ash, doesn't this kind of remind you of when we first started traveling together?" She turned to Ash.

Ash naturally smiled as he was reminded of when he first met May.

"Yeah. It was just us. No one else." The trainer rubbed the back of May's hand with his thumb as they continued to walk hand-in-hand.

"Ah, the memories..." May reminisced as they now approached the thick forest and walked inside.

"Well, since it's just us now, we can enjoy our time together without anyone getting in our way." Ash said.

"What are you implying, mister?" May eyed Ash skeptically while Pikachu snickered from her shoulder.

"I'm just saying that since we are alone, we can focus on our relationship and make it the best it can be...right?" Ash wondered if he was interpreting what to do in a relationship correctly.

At this, May giggled and pecked Ash on the cheek.

"Yeah, you're right. I thought you were talking about more 'mature' things." May giggled.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Oh, nothing. You can worry about that when we get older." May smiled.

"...okay, then." Ash said, deciding that he shouldn't think too hard about that 'mature' thing until later.

The couple walked for a little while as they searched for any clues on Drew's whereabouts. After a few minutes, Ash decided to call out his Swellow to search from the skies. As Swellow flew above the trees, May decided to call out Beautifly to assist in the search as well.

After a few hours of non-stop walking, Ash and May decided to take a short break. They called out to their flying Pokémon to rest for a bit, and they rehydrated themselves as they sat beside the trunk of a few trees. They shared a few snacks with each other and talked for a bit. They didn't know what time it was now, but judging from how the sun was just past its highest point in the sky, they determined that it was the afternoon and that they should keep moving before the sun set. With haste, they moved through the forest to cover as much ground as possible, as quickly as possible.

It was after the sky became an orange color when Ash, May and Pikachu could smell something odd about the air. They thought it smelled like something was burning, and when Swellow and Beautifly descended from the skies to inform them about a burned field of trees and grass, they knew they had to investigate. Running through the ever-increasing shadows of the trees, they burst into a clearing and stared wide-eyed as they saw all the dead remains. At first glance, nothing seemed to have survived here.

They slowly walked onto the rough terrain of the dirt and ash. The soil crumpled beneath their shoes as they walked, and they simply looked around at the horrendous sight, not saying a word. Pikachu, with his sensitive hearing, heard the sound of ragged breathing, and it immediately ran towards the direction of the sound to investigate. Seeing the Pokémon run, Ash, May, Beautifly, and Swellow followed closely to see what was going on.

Pikachu ran to the form of a badly burned and charred Beautifly. Ash and the others stopped beside the weakened Pokémon and gasped. Without a word, Ash and May knew they had to help, so they took out any potions and berries they had from their bags. Even with the care they were providing, the couple knew they had to get Beautifly to the Pokémon Center as quickly as possible, so they carefully picked up the Pokémon. Just then, they noticed footprints in the soil beside them that led away from Beautifly toward the unscathed trees in the distance. Whose footprints are these? Drew's? They didn't care about it for now. All they knew was that they had to get moving to save Beautifly, and the footprints were the best lead to get them anywhere, since they didn't exactly know where they were going.

With haste, Ash, May, and Pikachu ran and followed the footprints after they had returned Swellow and Beautifly to their Pokéballs. As they approached the healthy woods, they found the footprints harder to find, due to the thickness of the grass. But, judging by how the footprints seemed to be going in a straight line, they ran in the same direction.

It wasn't until night time when they finally ran out of the forest. Upon entering the clearing, Ash and May surveyed their surroundings until they spotted a Pokémon Center off in the distance. They ran into a large field of grass, past a few streams of water and trees, until they stepped foot on paved roads. They rushed into the Center that was situated a few meters away, and they ran towards the closest nurse.

"Nurse Joy!" Ash and May shouted simultaneously. The pink haired nurse turned towards them and saw the injured Beautifly in Ash's arms.

"Oh my!" The nurse exclaimed in horror, then turned towards a concerned Chansey, "it needs immediate medical attention! Quickly!"

Chansey nodded and took the Pokémon out of Ash's hands and set it onto a nearby stretcher. After doing so, it quickly pushed the stretcher away into a hallway that led to an emergency room.

Nurse Joy looked back at the concerned couple and Pikachu.

"What happened?" She asked.

"We don't really know what happened to be honest." Ash said sadly, "we were walking through the forest when we came across a field of completely burned and destroyed trees, and we found Beautifly laying on the ground. That's when we immediately took it here."

"It's unfortunate what happened to it. And same with the forest; it's strange how it caught on fire." Nurse Joy said, "Well, I'll be checking on Beautifly now with Chansey. You three are welcome to stay in a room for tonight, while we'll handle everything else."

Ash and May nodded, and after Nurse Joy left, the couple and Pikachu searched for a vacant room to stay in for the night. After finding a room, they walked inside and fell onto their beds in exhaustion. Ash looked at the clock and saw that it was nearly midnight, so he and May quickly took turns showering before getting into bed. Because of how late it was, Ash, May and Pikachu immediately fell asleep.

* * *

Ash, May and Pikachu eagerly waited for news of the wild Beautifly. After several long minutes of sitting in the waiting room, they saw Nurse Joy approaching from the hallway. They quickly ran up to her with worry in their eyes.

"Nurse Joy, how is it doing?" May asked, nervous about the outcome.

"You'll be happy to know that Beautifly is making a fast recovery and that it should be out of here after a few days of rest." Nurse Joy simply smiled.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that the Pokémon was feeling better already. As Ash and May were about to ask to see the Pokémon, they both spotted a familiar person in the corner of their eyes, walking out the front door and taking a turn, getting out of their line of sight. What caught their attention was the distinct green hair, and they knew it was him.

"Sorry, Nurse Joy, we have to go now!" They shouted as they ran toward the front door, leaving behind a confused Nurse Joy.

Ash, May and Pikachu burst out the door and searched for where Drew had went. They spotted Drew walking away from the town they were in, toward the same forest they had came from. Without wasting time, they ran after him. They shouted his name multiple times, but he didn't seem to hear them. Soon enough, the green-haired coordinator reached the forest and walked in.

Ash, May and Pikachu sprinted through the meadows and made it to the forest after a few minutes. They ran into the thickets and looked around for any trace of the coordinator. However, as they wandered deeper into the trees, they couldn't catch sight of Drew. They paused for a moment to listen to their surroundings, only to hear nothing. Frustrated, they walked aimlessly through the woods.

As they walked deeper into the trees, a deep rumbling within the earth rocked the terrain, along with Ash, May, and Pikachu. Suddenly, as the ground shook uncontrollably, the earth split between Ash and May, and Ash found his side of the platform to be falling quickly. Unable to jump to safety in time, Ash and Pikachu screamed as they sank into a large, deep ravine.

"ASH!" May screamed as she looked over the edge of the ravine. Her eyes desperately scanned the pit for Ash, and she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that he and Pikachu were alive at the bottom, although bruised and cut up in the process of falling down. She also noticed that Ash's leg was somewhat lodged in between a boulder and the wall of the gorge.

"May, I'm alright!" Ash yelled from below, "I'm a bit stuck, so give me some time to get out!"

"Ash, wait there! I'll find a way down there and help you!" She yelled back as she searched for a way to safely lower herself. She rushed to the sides of the canyon, out of sight of Ash, as she looked for a way down. As she searched the perimeter, she ran into the chest of a person, and she realized who it was before her.

"Drew!" She exclaimed happily, then her face became solemn, "Drew, we need to help Ash! He fell down into that ravine after an earthquake struck!" She began tugging on Drew's arm, only to find him standing in place and not moving. "Drew?" May asked worriedly.

Suddenly, Drew laugh maniacally, causing May to flinch. He then grabbed onto May's wrist with a firm grip, causing May to squeal in pain. Drew walked close to May until his face was mere inches from hers, and he smirked evilly.

"May...oh sweet May..." He said in a childlike voice before switching to a dark, almost unrecognizable tone, "Do you really think I care about your precious Ketchum? After all, you've caused me a lot of...pain."

May remained silent, not knowing where Drew was going with this."

"Pain. Pain, pain, pain!" He roared before lowering his voice, sending chills down May's spine, "Well, after much thought and...suffering, because of you, I've decided that I will...return the favor to you." Drew's lips curled up.

"Drew, I'm s-" May began before Drew tightened his grip on May's wrist, eliciting a scream.

"Oh, May, it's too late for apologies now," Drew laughed, "Too late. Now, I was thinking, how can I return the favor for how you crushed my heart and left me for Ketchum?" Drew's face edged closer to May's, forcing her to look at his revenge-filled eyes, "I've decided that I will make you break Ketchum's heart."

May visibly appeared shocked and skeptical.

"What makes you think I would betray Ash!" May shouted with anger, "just because you weren't able to win my heart doesn't mean that he should suffer!"

Drew simply laughed, wiping away tears.

"I don't give a shit about him." Drew said coldly, "I'm doing this to make YOU suffer! You're the one who hurt me! And in turn, I will hurt you! And what better way than to make you break your bond with Ketchum and make you endure the pain, knowing that it is YOU who broke his heart!" Drew began laughing, "and just to think, after you've lost Ketchum's love and trust, I'll leave you be, as you try and desperately earn his affection back, only to realize the damage that's already there."

"What makes you think I will just listen to your cruel and sadistic plans!" May shouted. She immediately regretted asking that.

"Oh, what do I think? I think I will go after your annoying little brother as he's making his way back home. You can imagine what I'll do to him."

"Max...Max..." May's eyes widened, "You're the one who made Max leave, weren't you?"

"Yes, and same with that hopeless romantic. Now, onto the point: crush Ketchum's heart, or I'm coming for your brother."

"Drew, you have to realize how irrational you are thinking!" May began to form tears, "All this! All this...just for revenge? Drew, I understand that I hurt you really, really badly, and words cannot describe how sorry I am, but you have to realize what you are doing! This isn't right! This isn't the Drew I know!"

Drew furiously slapped May hard across the cheek with his free hand, then harshly pushed May away.

"Do your job...or your brother gets it." Drew snarled, "And don't think you can slack off at anytime and tell Ketchum any of this. I'll be watching...always..." With that, Drew turned around and left, laughing sinisterly.

May finally took in deep breaths she didn't know she was holding. She collapsed onto the ground and cried. Why? Why did this have to happen? She hated this, and now she had to hurt Ash. Her heart sank as she thought about how Ash would grow to despise her and distance himself from her.

" _There's nothing to stop this._ " May thought, " _I'm caught in the corner, and there is no getting out_."

Just then, she heard Ash calling out to her, his voice sounding weak and tired. May wanted so desperately to run up and help him, but here she was, looking away from the ravine, hating herself more than anything.

"I'm sorry, Ash."


	14. Ending 1 Chapter 14

**Hey, everyone! Thanks for all the favorites, follows and reviews! I can't say enough times how humbling it is and how much you all motivate me to continue writing!**

 **I have decided to split the rest of the story into two endings, but don't worry, both endings will end in advanceshipping!**

 **Enjoy the chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.**

* * *

 **Ending #1**

 **Chapter 14**

Ash grunted as he tried to move the boulder aside. He was beginning to tire out, and he couldn't feel his legs anymore, due to the pressure of being stuck in between the boulder and the canyon wall. Blood began to trickle down his leg, and he knew he had to get out of here, fast.

"Piiika!" Pikachu tried to help Ash by pushing rock, only to find that it didn't budge. No matter what, even with both Ash and Pikachu's efforts to move the boulder, it still remained where it was.

With one last push, Ash exhausted himself, feeling sore and numb all over his body. He looked up into the sky to the edges of the ravine to see if May was on her way, but he couldn't see anything from where he was positioned.

" _May, where are you?_ " Ash wondered, panting and feeling weak.

A few more minutes passed, and Ash was beginning to feel nauseous and lightheaded. Sweat dripped down his forehead, and he reached for his Pokéballs on his belt. Grabbing a Pokéball, he chucked it into the air to reveal Corphish. The lobster-like Pokémon blinked a few times before noticing the terrible state Ash was in.

"Corphish Cor!" It exclaimed in worry.

"Don't worry, just use Bubble Beam on the boulder so it will break." Ash said weakly.

Corphish obliged and shot several bursts of bubbles from its claws, onto the boulder, breaking it down into small rocks and freeing Ash. Because of the blast and shattering of the boulder, Ash ended up getting a few cuts over his already injured leg. Ash didn't seem to react to the cuts, for he felt pleased from being no longer trapped by the large rock.

Ash breathed a sigh of relief and tried to stretch his legs, only to find that the leg he was caught on couldn't move and was mostly stained in red. Pikachu and Corphish were noticeably shaken by the amount of blood loss, and they tried to assist Ash while he was limping.

Ash looked up from the canyon and scouted the walls, looking for an easy way up. All he was greeted with was the steep, sharp features of the rocky wall, and, overwhelmed, he clutched the back of his head.

"Now, how do I get out of here?" he asked aloud.

* * *

" _May..._ "

She continued to cry into her hands, sniffling loudly and hating herself.

" _May...May..._ "

Tears flooded down from her eyes, dripping onto her clothes. She cried her heart out, and she felt completely hopeless in this mess. She desperately wished that this was all just a nightmare, that she was safe and sound in her room, in the comforts of Ash's arms.

" _May, get a hold of yourself...take deep breaths, and you will be able to think better._ "

The tears slowly came to a stop, and May managed to suppress her whimpers. She withdrew her hands from her eyes, and she lowered them to her chest. Closing her eyes, she focused on her breathing.

" _Breathe in...one, two, three,...breathe out. Breathe in...one, two, three,...breathe out._ "

She could feel her heartbeats steadying out, becoming less rapid, and she opened her eyes to find that she was not as worried and anxious as before. Getting into a meditative state, her thoughts ran back to her conversation with Drew. She heard his horrendous plans, and she realized how flawed those plans were. She looked around to see if her rival was nearby, but she couldn't see or hear him.

" _He was bluffing the whole time._ " May concluded after several minutes of meditation, " _There was no way he could keep watch on me this whole time. All he wanted to do was get my emotions and judgment clouded and have me listen to his commands, just to have me crush my own heart._ " May sighed, " _Drew_ , _what happened to you?_ "

May then remembered that Ash was still stuck in the pit, so she immediately shot up and ran in his direction. She had to be wary, though, just in case Drew decided to pop up and sabotage her again.

"... _screw that. He won't._ " May thought, knowing that Drew wouldn't be able to see, or even care, that she was running back to save Ash.

May neared the edge of the canyon and saw that Ash, Pikachu and Corphish were looking for a way up the pit. Seeing a somewhat stable way down the canyon wall off to the side with protruding rocks to grip onto with hands and feet, she ran towards the spot and climbed down. Deciding to save time and reach Ash faster, she leapt off near the bottom of the wall and landed on the ground with a loud thud. Because of the echo of her feet after landing, Ash heard her and turned his head. He immediately brightened up and limped his way to her.

"May!" He exclaimed, "I was beginning to get worried! Do you know a way out of here?"

"Ash, I think the best way out is if I carry you up the side of the wall and to safety." May said, then noticed his eyebrows furrowing, "if we use our Pokémon to carve a way out of here, they might unintentionally make things worse and cut us up from the sharp rocks, or worse, accidentally make the walls of rocks collapse on top of us."

"Okay, I understand." Ash said, "Are you sure about carrying me up, though? It's about thirty feet up to safety."

"Yes, I'm sure. Just grab onto me and don't let go."

Ash nodded and made his way to the wall with May's assistance. Ash returned Corphish to its Pokéball, and Pikachu clung onto Ash's shoulder. Lowering her back so Ash could wrap his arms right below and across her neck from behind, May began her climb. It was tough, to say the least, but she couldn't stop right there. With effort and resilience, she slowly ascended up the wall, panting heavily and gripping tightly onto sturdy rocks.

Ash desperately wanted to climb up on his own in order to give May an easier time, but his blasted leg was too injured to do anything. He simply held his breath and tried not to move around as not to cause unnecessary trouble for May.

After scaling about twelve feet up, May felt herself tiring out, and her arms were begging for rest, but she ignored their desperate pleas of stopping.

" _Gotta...do this...for Ash._ " She panted as she scaled the wall. " _I can't...let him...down. I can't. He's saved me enough times...and now I have to save him._ "

Suddenly, as she gripped onto another rock above her, the rock crumbled, causing her, Ash and Pikachu to dangle on one rock. The adrenaline kicked in, and she looked around frantically for a way to continue climbing before she would lose her grip and cause them all to fall.

" _Crap, crap, crap, crap!_ " May thought as she struggled to carry the weight of Ash and Pikachu, " _Don't look_ _down, don't look down. Just focus on reaching for that next rock..._ "

May stretched her arm out as much as she could, reaching for a rock that was a few feet above her. Her arms were shaking, and Ash and Pikachu held their breath from fear and shock. It was a wonder how May hadn't already lost her grip and fall, but seeing how determined her expression was, Ash knew that May wasn't going to give up anytime soon.

As May's free hand inched closer and closer to the next rock, her fingers were trying to stretch as much as possible and grasp onto the surface. May licked her lips in nervousness, and, soon enough, her fingers wrapped onto the rock and gripped tightly onto it.

" _Yes_!" May thought, then focused on climbing again, " _Can't celebrate, yet. Not until we make it out of_ _here_."

Pulling herself up rock after rock, May saw that the top was soon enough within an arms reach. She planted her arms firmly onto the soil of the canyon edge, and after expelling the last of her energy, she climbed over the side, lowered Ash off her back, and rolled onto the ground in exhaustion.

Ash crawled his way towards May to see if she was alright, having strained her muscles to carry all that weight.

"May, are you alright?" He asked, shaking her shoulder.

May shot up and looked straight at Ash's blood-soaked leg.

"Ash! We have to get you to the Pokémon Center. Now!" May struggled to get up onto her legs and feet.

"May, don't worry about me, we need to find Drew!" Ash tried to convince her. Upon mentioning her rival's name, Ash noticed how disturbed May looked. "May, what's wrong?"

May shook her head.

"Ask me that later. For now, we have to get you to the Center." It was then and there that she noticed the small pool of blood already collecting in the grass around Ash's wound. Without hesitation, May ripped her bandana off from her hair and immediately wrapped it tightly around his leg.

Ash stared in a shocked expression as May tied a knot to secure the bandana around the wound. After dealing with the blood, May knelt down to wrap Ash's arm around the back of her neck, and she held Ash around his waist to give him stability and support. Standing up, May assisted Ash in walking through the forest, back the way they came from, while Pikachu followed closely from behind.

Breathing heavily, and without stopping to rest, May led Ash out of the forest, through the meadow, and into the Pokémon Center. Nurse Joy, who was monitoring a computer at the front desk, spotted them and noticed Ash's inability to walk with one leg, as well as how that same leg had a blood-soaked bandana tied firmly around it.

"Oh my! What happened?" Nurse Joy asked, staring at Ash, "Never mind that, let me get you to a room, so I can check up on you."

Nurse Joy took the reigns from May, and led him away into a hallway. May stood there, watching them go, and before she knew it, the exhaustion caught up with her, and she collapsed onto the ground.

* * *

May woke up to see that she was in a standard hospital room. The room was rather dark, save for a dimly lit lamp that sat on a table beside her. She tried to sit up, only to find herself unable to, due to enervation. She heard the door handle turn, and she saw Nurse Joy walk in.

"Nurse Joy!" May acknowledged.

"Hello, May. You might be wondering how you got here." Nurse Joy said as she stood beside the bed, "After you got to the Pokémon Center, you collapsed from exhaustion, and we immediately brought you here. We did a quick check up on you, and the good thing is that it seems you just need some rest."

"How long was I out for?"

"You've been unconscious for a couple hours, and seeing as how it's night time, you must be hungry."

" _Wow, its night already?_ " May thought, " _Time sure does go by quickly._ " Suddenly, she remembered why she was here in the first place.

"Oh, Nurse Joy! How is Ash doing?" May asked with concern.

"Your friend is currently resting in another room," Nurse Joy smiled, "we were able to patch up the gashes and cuts on his leg, and he should be able to move his leg after resting for the night."

"May I see him?" May asked.

"Miss, you have to rest, now." Nurse Joy frowned, "Your body is still fatigued, and if you move around, you'll only slow down the rate of gaining back your energy."

"I'm sorry, but I need to see him." May shook her head, "He means the world to me, and I have to see for myself that he is okay."

Nurse Joy stared at May, contemplating if she should let her visit Ash in her condition. As May stared back, Nurse Joy saw the resolve and sincerity in her eyes, and she knew she couldn't deny her from seeing Ash.

"Alright, you may see him. He's staying in the room across from us." Nurse Joy said, "Just be sure to not disturb him when you walk in." She turned away and walked out of the room, down the hallway.

May turned onto her shoulder so she could use her arm and push herself off the bed, and she slowly stood up while leaning onto the wall for balance. Wobbling her way over to the door, May turned the handle and left. Entering the hallway, and with Ash's room just a few feet away, May hurriedly wobbled to his room. She silently crept into his room and closed the door behind her. In front of her was the peaceful sight of Ash sleeping, with Pikachu napping beside his pillow. A desk lamp dimly illuminated next to them, as to provide a quiet, peaceful atmosphere, and she saw her now-clean bandana resting on the table.

"Ash..." May whispered, a warm smile growing on her face. She walked over to his bed and looked over his sleeping figure. Brushing his messy hair away from his face, she caressed his cheek and kissed him on the forehead. She noticed how Ash seemed to smile in response to what she did, and she couldn't help but feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Spotting a chair off to the side of the room, May brought the seat next to Ash and held his hand. As she caressed his hand, she saw Ash slowly opening his eyelids, looking straight into her eyes, and smiling. For a while, they simply looked at each other in the dimly lit room. Ash brought his free hand to May's side and clasped her hand, giving her all his gratitude and thanks for getting him here to safety.

Two grumbles erupted from both of their stomachs, causing them to giggle and laugh. Seeing that it was about time they ate, May stood up, while Ash tried to sit up in bed. The moment Ash tried to get out of bed, he felt stinging in his leg, prompting him to lay back down. May noticed his reaction, causing her to be concerned.

"Ash, if your leg hurts too much, I can help get your food for you." May suggested, holding onto his hand again.

"N-no, I'm fine-gah!," Ash denied, wanting to get up before feeling a sharp pain in his leg again.

"Ash, it's okay if you stay in bed," May reassured him, leaning over him, "I'll grab large plates and fill them up just for you, so don't you worry!"

"Okay," Ash complied, then reached up to peck her on the lips before blushing, "thanks...for everything."

May giggled and waved goodbye to Ash as she walked out the door. Right before she closed the door, she faced Ash and blew a kiss towards him, causing him to redden even more in the face. May stifled her laughter and closed the door, heading down to the cafeteria.

Receiving permission from Chansey to bring food to Ash's room, May selected a plethora of meats, bread and pasta, packing them up on a plate that screamed for relief from all the sustenance. Figuring that Pikachu could use a meal, May brought a ketchup pack and a muffin with her before returning to Ash's room. Seeing as how both her hands were full from her and Ash's plates, she had to use the grip of her shoes to turn the door handle and open the door. Upon entering the room, May saw that Ash was playing with a now woken-up Pikachu. She set her plate on the table beside the bed, and she handed the other plate to Ash. She also gave the ketchup and muffin to Pikachu, earning a playful rub on her hand with his head.

Ash immediately dug into his plate, eating ravenously. Seeing how happily he and Pikachu ate, May chuckled and was about to dig into her own food before thoughts of Drew's heinous schemes infiltrated her mind. Her face fell, and she lowered her utensils as she kept thinking about how Drew had attempted to make her, under her shock, grief, and hysteria, break off her relationship with Ash and effectively breaking both of their hearts.

"May? What's wrong?" Ash asked, sensing the sudden drop in her mood. He lowered his utensils and looked worriedly at her, while May looked him in the eyes with distress and anxiety.

After quickly scouting the door and windows to see if they were completely shut, May decided that it was time that she told Ash and Pikachu about her encounter with her rival.

"Ash, there's no easy way to say this, but..." May took a deep breath, "when I was looking for a way down the pit to help you, I ran into Drew."

Ash's eyes widened, a smile breaking out. He was happy that May was able to complete the mission early, and he wanted to hear about what happened.

"May, you found him?" He asked, "Were you able to talk to him about...you know...how we are here for him and how we care about-" Ash noticed how May's face became even more solemn as he rambled on, "-him? ...May?"

"Ash," May choked out, finding it harder to speak as she recollected her memory with Drew, "he...he's gone mad. He hurt me...he said terrible things to me...and he absolutely hates me."

Ash's watched as May tried to contain her tears. He saw how her lips were quivering, and he wanted to reassure her that everything was okay, that Drew doesn't really ha-

"He told me I had to break your heart!" May shouted out in anguish and frustration, before lowering her voice, "he said that...because I caused him so much grief and suffering, that he wants me to feel that pain."

A single tear rolled down her face, something that Ash thought was a heartbreaking sight.

"He told me...he told me to-" May made a choking sound, "-to make it seem like I don't love you anymore, to lose your trust, so I can be tormented by my own actions and lose my sanity. And he threatened that if I didn't listen to him, if I try and sneak behind him and tell you all this, he'd go after Max, and he'd do something terrible to him."

Ash stared at May, processing all this new information. Was Drew really...insane? It seems like it, and it is certainly unforgivable that he'd try and attack May like that, and-

"May!" Ash set his plate aside and grabbed onto her shoulders, "if you are telling me all this, aren't you endangering Max?"

"I made sure that all the doors and windows were shut tight, so there was no way he could hear. Plus, it's virtually impossible for him to monitor my every move, so I'm sure we are safe for now." May said.

Ash nodded, then sat in silence. As he went over what May had told him about Drew, he took May's hand in his and started playing with it, stroking her palm and the back of her hand. May knew Ash was just trying to comprehend what was going on and let him continue to grasp her hand. Then, Ash pulled May off of her chair and brought her into an embrace, surprising May.

"Thank you...for telling me all this." Ash said, resting his chin on her shoulder, "it must have been very difficult retelling what happened, and it must have been tough to think about succumbing to Drew."

Ash let go of May and looked straight into her eyes.

"And I want to thank you, so, so much, for being brave out there and carrying me out of the ravine and guiding me through the forest to safety, even though you must have been completely drained out. Thank you...for your resilience and kindness."

Ash leaned forward to plant a kiss on her lips. Although short and simple, his actions spoke many words, words of unconditional love, trust, and affection.

"Ash, I would do anything to make you happy and safe." She smiled, "After all, you're the one who usually saves me from something."

"And I would promise the same for you, for I can't imagine life when you are upset or depressed." May began laughing, confusing Ash, "what's wrong? Is it something I said?"

"Oh no, it's nothing, really," May suppressed her giggling, "but you're really cheesy, you know that?"

"Hey, you were also pretty cheesy!" Ash complained, causing May to howl in laughter, "hmph!" Ash playfully whipped his head around and crossed his arms, avoiding May. May's laughter died down, and she tugged on Ash's arms to try and gain his attention.

"Come on, Ash, I was just kidding!" May whined, prying his arms from where they were crossed below his chest. May then resorted to her cutest, high-pitched voice, to try and get Ash to look at her, "Ashy, pwease? I'm sorry for everything, I was kidding and wanted some fun."

" _Dang, she's good,_ " Ash thought, trying not to submit to May's cute, child-like voice, " _I don't know how_ _much longer I can hold up on this._ "

"Ashy," -sniff- "can you pwease forgive me?"

" _Crap, this is a losing battle._ " Ash thought.

May saw how Ash's head was slowly turning her way, and she knew she won the battle. Deciding to tease him just once more, she managed to a get a few tears to roll down her face. That did it. Once Ash finally looked at May, his demeanor fell, and he quickly cradled her in his arms, trying to soothe and comfort her.

"May, it's okay, I forgive you." He said, slowly rocking her back and forth in his arms.

May smiled in victory as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the attention and care Ash was giving her. As she was cradled by Ash, drowsiness began to seep through the fortitude of warmth and relaxation, and after many minutes of resisting the urge to sleep, she fell into a peaceful slumber.

Ash soon realized that the girl in his arms was asleep, and he positioned her right beside him in bed. Seeing as how Pikachu had already finished his dinner, Ash let him eat the rest of his plate.

Ash looked at the clock to see that it was pretty late at night, so he decided to get some shut-eye as well. Turning off the desk lamp, he let sleep overcome him.


	15. Ending 1 Chapter 15

**Hey, everyone! Thanks for all the follows, favorites and reviews as always! Now to answer a question. Will there still be a sequel? I can't guarantee anything at this point, since I don't know what I'd write about if there was a sequel. However, if I do plan to make a sequel, it wouldn't be released in a loooong time, since I want to work on another story that I had started in January. Basically, there might, there might not be, depending on if I can think of a solid plot. So, sorry if this wasn't the answer you were looking for.**

 **Now, this is going to be the second to last installment for ending #1, with the Epilogue coming out shortly. But please stay tuned for the second ending, since it will probably be a lot longer and more dramatic!**

 **WARNING: VIOLENCE WILL APPEAR IN THIS CHAPTER, SO PREPARE YOURSELF! Also, I don't own Pokémon.**

* * *

 **Ending #1**

 **Chapter 15**

It was early the next morning, and, coming by to do a regular check-up on Ash, Nurse Joy opened the door to find the trainer and coordinator sleeping closely together on the bed. Hearing the door creak open, May looked up to see Nurse Joy's sweet smile, causing her to shoot up and out of bed with an "eek!" Ash sat up at the sound of the scream and blushed heavily from embarrassment when he noticed Nurse Joy in the room. Nurse Joy decided to pretend nothing had happened, so she began to replace the bandages covering Ash's wounds. Afterward, she had him try to walk around the room to test his leg. Seeing as how he was able to walk, albeit with some difficulty, Nurse Joy deemed Ash was good to go and told him and May they could leave whenever they wanted to.

"Just remember to take things easy for the next few days!" Nurse Joy called out as she began to walk out of the room, "And don't forget to replace the bandages everyday until it's all healed up!"

"Thanks, Nurse Joy!" Ash and May exclaimed, seeing Nurse Joy wave and leave the room. Immediately the door closed, May sat down onto the bed in front of Ash and started poking him in the chest.

"Mister, I'll make sure you change your bandages everyday, got it?" She said in a serious tone.

"Maaay!" Ash whined, "You're not my mom, so stop acting like her because of a minor injury!"

"Minor?! You were bleeding heavily, and your leg was so numb to the point I had to carry you to safety!" May raised her voice, pushing down harder on his chest with her finger. As she continued to voice her concern and safety for Ash, she pushed him backwards with her finger until she was practically sitting on top of him and looking down at him with agitation.

"Er-May, I'm sorry!" Ash pleaded, seeing the ever-growing fury in her eyes. He cowered, covering his eyes with his hands, causing May to laugh and drop her cold demeanor.

"Ash, you're so cute how you are cowering in fear because of a girl!" May laughed, flicking his nose. Ash's face reddened, and he huffed before crossing his arms and turning onto his shoulders to avoid looking at May.

"Aww, don't be like that." May said, but Ash just huffed again and ignored her. May grinned, and she laid directly next to Ash and cradled his waist. She laid her head contently on Ash's chest, knowing that he wouldn't do anything to her and how he would quickly abandon his "silent treatment" behavior. Like she had expected, she felt Ash embrace her, bringing her in his arms and pulling her closer to his chest. As May enjoyed the sensation of Ash's touch, she felt Ash using his hands to gently caress her cheeks, causing her to melt into him.

"Since when did you become an expert on this kind of thing?" May asked, looking up from his chest towards his face.

"I don't know...it just feels so...natural, now." Ash replied, "And for some reason, I just can't get enough of it."

"Looks like our little Ash isn't so dense anymore when it comes to love." May giggled.

"Hey, I wasn't THAT bad."

"Whatever you say..." May smiled. Soon enough, she felt herself lost in Ash's eyes, and she could tell that Ash was experiencing the same thing with her own eyes. Their faces inched closer to each other, and when their lips were about to connect, Pikachu, out of the corner of his eyes, spotted a silhouette walking outside of their window. He looked intently at the person, and when he came into the lighting, Pikachu could immediately recognize his green hair.

"Pika!" Pikachu whispered urgently, pushing May off the bed to the opposite side of where the window was to avoid having Drew see her.

"Pikachu, what's going on?" Ash and May asked, before they heard the sound of crunching grass growing closer outside the window. Taking a quick glance, Ash and May gasped at who they saw, before Ash closed his eyes and pretended to sleep, while May ducked down behind the bed. There, they remained silent, praying that Drew hadn't seen or heard them.

" _What is he doing here?_ " May wondered, " _Is he patrolling around and searching for me?_ "

The crunching of grass stopped, and for awhile, nothing moved or emitted a sound.

"Hmmmmm, I could have SWORN I heard someone familiar." Ash and May heard a sarcastic voice outside, causing them to hold their breath and feel their heart stop.

Minutes passed by, and Ash and May hadn't heard anything since. They were beginning to think that Drew had long left them, but they couldn't help but fear that Drew was playing with them the whole time, trying to expose them.

Another few minutes passed, and the urge to look at the window swelled Ash and May. They had to see if they were safe to go, if they didn't have to cringe away from the threat outside. By then, almost half an hour had passed, and May was completely sure that Drew wouldn't have been watching their room for all this time. Peeking out above the mattress, she inched her head higher and higher until she could see above Ash's "sleeping" figure, and that's when she realized she made a huge mistake. There he was, wearing a wicked smile from outside the window, staring straight into her eyes.

"Gotcha..." Drew whispered malevolently, before turning around and walking away nonchalantly, out of view of the the inside of the room.

"No, Drew!" May screamed out, causing Ash to sit up from bed and wonder what had happened.

"May, what's going o-" Ash asked before he felt May pull him onto his feet and dragging him out of the room with Pikachu following after them.

Rushing through the hallways, into the lobby and out the front door, May and Ash looked all around to find where Drew had gone. After they had spotted Drew disappear into a condensed crowd in the town, they ran through the streets, searching for the unmistakable green hair. Since May was still pulling Ash along with her, Ash winced as he placed pressure on his leg for every step he ran. Eventually, he groaned in pain, causing May to stop running. She gasped after realizing what she was doing to him, and she lightly grasped Ash's arm in worry.

"Ash, I'm so sorry, I wasn't thinking! I just felt so much adrenaline after seeing Drew that I didn't think about your injury!" May said, before Ash patted her shoulder.

"It's okay, May. Just go after him. Don't let him get away." Ash reassured her, before groaning again because of his aching leg, "Don't worry, Pikachu will help me catch up to you. I'll try my best to keep up, but for now, worry about Drew."

May nodded, and, as much as she didn't want to, she ran up ahead of Ash to chase after Drew.

May ran through the many people on the streets and sidewalks, scanning through the gaps of the crowd for the green-haired coordinator. As she did so, she would occasionally bump into an annoyed person, afterward quickly apologizing and running again.

" _Where the heck are you?_ " May constantly wondered as she squeezed through the crowd. After running for nearly ten minutes, her eyes wondered over to an alleyway, where she saw her rival walk through. Putting on a determined look, May ran after him and turned into the alley. Upon walking into the narrow path between two buildings, she saw that Drew was already in the middle of the passageway.

"Drew, stop!" May yelled, standing in place. She saw that her rival obeyed, stopping with his back still facing her. May slowly walked towards him, with her footsteps echoing in the quiet alleyway of an otherwise loud city. As the city noises were drowned out with each step into the alley, May kept walking until she was a few steps away from Drew.

"...soooo, look who has come to see me...I'm touched." Drew chuckled.

"Drew, please, listen to me, I-"

"May! I forgot to ask! How was your visit with Ketchum? He must have been really happy about how much you cared for him...something that I deliberately told you NOT TO DO!" Drew turned around with anger.

"Drew, I-"

"You knew the consequences. And because you didn't obey me, it looks like I'll have to pay your petty brother a visit." Drew pulled out a Pokéball. Upon seeing this, May quickly rushed and grabbed his wrist, and she tried to prevent him from summoning his Pokémon.

"Drew! Please, don't do this!" May begged, wrestling with Drew, before he shoved her aside and caused her to get scraped up by the cement wall.

"Pathetic." Drew spat, before May resumed her fight and grabbed his arm, trying to prevent him from releasing his Pokémon. "Gr-s-stop, messing with me!" Drew roared, throwing May hard against the wall, causing her to fall onto the ground with blood trickling down her head.

May fought against her body's pleading for rest, and, taking deep breaths, she used the wall to stand up. Grinning, Drew leaned against the side of the alley.

"I'm impressed." Drew flicked his hair, "You seem so determined to stop me, so I'm guessing you'd rather take the hits instead of your brother, no?"

May didn't answer, and she walked towards Drew. Drew acknowledged her choice with a sneer, and he decided to toy with her for a bit. Instead of immediately calling out Flygon to proceed with his original plan, he stood in place, waiting for May to try and stop him. Soon enough, May was reaching for his Pokéball, so he shoved her harshly onto the ground.

"You're gonna have to try harder than that, May." Drew taunted.

May groaned in pain, and this time, she intended to tackle and pin Drew to the ground until Ash came. However, Drew didn't see the same way, as he pushed and kicked May off of himself after being caught off guard with her tackle to the ground. He scrambled onto his feet and cursed May, kicking her in the abdomen and causing her to become more bruised and battered. As May endured the kicks, Ash and Pikachu turned into the alleyway and gasped in shock from what they saw. After processing that Drew was hurting May, Ash clenched his fists, feeling an abnormally large amount of anger build up inside of himself, and he sprinted toward Drew while ignoring the pain in his leg.

"Get away from May!" Ash shouted as he put all his energy into punching Drew in the face. Drew was knocked down onto the ground after not being able to prepare himself, and he was momentarily stunned by what had happened.

Ash knelt by May's side and desperately held her cheeks.

"May, are you alright? Are you hurt badly?" Ash asked worriedly while brushing May's hair away from her crestfallen face.

"Pika, Pikachu." Pikachu wore a saddened face, tapping on May's shoulder with his paws.

For awhile, May remained unresponsive, causing Ash to hold onto her hand while building up tears in his eyes. May slowly looked towards Ash's face, and her once dejected face turn to joy as she caressed his face.

"Ash, Pikachu, you're both here!" She finally said.

"May, I'm so sorry for arriving so late! I never should have left you!" Ash began to cry. Pikachu nodded, feeling regret for not being there for May.

"It's okay. As long as I know you're always there for me." May smiled. The smile faded once she saw that Ash was suddenly knocked down, violently. What was even more frightening was when she spotted the broken glass of a bottle around his fallen figure, and that blood was beginning to ooze down the side of his head. May's gaze shifted to Drew, who was standing over Ash. Her eyes focused on the tip of the broken glass bottle that he was holding.

"That's what you get, Ketchum! No one gets the better of me like that!" Drew spat. Then, noticing a spark of electricity in the corner of his eye, Drew saw the anger in Pikachu's face as he was about to unleash a powerful move. Thinking quickly, Drew threw out his Pokéball, summoning Flygon.

"Flygon, dispose of that puny, little rat!" Drew ordered. Flygon obeyed, using a wide assortment of moves on Pikachu to hurt him.

Seeing that Pikachu's attention was now all on Flygon, Drew turned toward Ash's figure, dropped the broken bottle onto the ground, and proceeded to kick Ash's unconscious body repeatedly.

The blood in May's veins were boiling, and her rage increased to insurmountable levels. Once a poor, battered girl, was now a lively, revenge-seeking super human, who quickly shot up from the ground and landed a kick so powerful that it knocked Drew into the alley walls. Not giving him anytime to process what was happening, May rapidly slapped, punched and kicked Drew, making him even more disorientated.

"Drew, you evil, twisted, malevolent jerk!" May screamed with fury. Giving one last hit for good measure, she kicked him as hard as she could in between the legs, causing Drew to collapse onto the ground in agony. May quickly grabbed Drew's Pokéball that lay on the ground and recalled Flygon back into its Pokéball, afterward turning toward Drew, who still laid on the ground in pain.

"Are you proud of yourself?! Wishing to inflict pain and anguish onto others just because you weren't satisfied with how things weren't going your way?!" May screamed at Drew, all while her tears were rolling down her face, "How can you justify yourself, if you were willing to crush my life, all because I didn't share the same feelings for you?! And not just that, you wished to hurt my brother, you inhumane monster! And topping this, you stooped down so low that you hurt me and Ash physically! How can you live with yourself?!"

Drew simply looked up at her, not saying a word. He couldn't say anything, because for some reason, he found that he lost to power to. All he could to was take in her words...her harsh, but accurate words.

All of a sudden, Drew found himself to be lifted up. He saw that it was Officer Jenny who was dragging him, and he figured that Jenny must have heard the commotion while passing by. Coupled with the fact that blood was pooling around Ash, and that a saddened and disappointed girl was spilling all her emotions and stress out, everything made Drew look like the guilty party. Justice has finally been served. Next thing he knew, Drew was inside the backseat of a Police car, being driven away.

Watching the car drive away, May knelt by Ash's side and cried into his chest. Had she been more resilient and stop Drew from the beginning, none of this would have happened. She absolutely hated herself.

"Ash...I'm so sorry." May cried, clenching Ash's shirt, "I've failed you." Pikachu patted May's arm, as if to say that it wasn't her fault, but she still felt miserable.

Suddenly, sirens wailed off in the distance, and May saw that a stretcher was coming their way. Ash was placed onto the stretcher, and with the help of Chansey, Ash was loaded onto an ambulance. May found herself and Pikachu to be standing by Ash's side the whole time as they were being driven to the Pokémon Center. During the ride, May held onto Ash's hand, praying that he wouldn't have any long or short term damage to his body.

Now in a waiting room, May stared at the emergency room doors the whole time. She waited, and she waited, and she waited, never peeling her eyes off the door. She was anxious about the result of Ash's health, for she had heard before that head trauma usually resulted in skull fractures and concussions, and sometimes even worse things. Oh, she desperately hoped that it didn't come down to such terrible things. Not only that, she hoped that Ash hadn't lost too much blood from the cuts he got from the broken glass. She could vividly remember the sight of blood dripping down from his head, and it absolutely frightened her. She shivered at the thought, and Pikachu tried to make her feel better by nuzzling her cheeks. May managed to crack a smile, and she petted Pikachu, making him squeal in delight.

May's breathing hitched when she saw that Nurse Joy walked out of the emergency room, toward her. She stood up with worry in her eyes, and she desperately hoped that Nurse Joy carried only good news.

"May, your friend is quickly recovering, but he has lost a lot of blood. We have stitched his cut up, and we can only recommend that he rest here for awhile, as he also has a concussion." Nurse Joy said with sadness and formality.

May drooped her head and shoulders, disturbed by Ash's condition. On the plus side, he was going to recover, but she still couldn't help but feel terrible.

"May I...see him?" May asked meekly.

"Yes, though you can stay for only a little bit." Nurse Joy replied, "If it makes you feel better, you can use a spare room to sleep in, until your friend is all healed up."

"Thank you, I'd very much appreciate that." May said, then, with Pikachu, followed Nurse Joy into the emergency room. Upon walking inside, May noticed the bandages around the top of Ash's head, and that he was still unconscious.

Pikachu hopped onto the bed and curled up against Ash, not wanting to leave his best friend, and May clasped the trainer's hand.

"Ash, please feel better. And please wake up soon." May said quietly, as rubbed Ash's hands with her thumb, "And...I'm sorry for causing all this...this pain...to you. If only I had been stronger, I would have stood up against Drew and stopped him from hurting us. From hurting you."

May leaned over Ash and gently kissed his forehead. After awhile, Nurse Joy said that May had to leave, so with one final kiss to his cheek, she left.

"I'll see you soon." May smiled as she walked out the door.


	16. Ending 1 Epilogue

**Ending #1 Epilogue**

 **One month later**

" _Drew, you evil, twisted, malevolent jerk!_ "

...

" _Are you proud of yourself?!_ "

...

" _How can you live with yourself?!_ "

Those words. They haunted Drew. And they stung...a lot. Drew, on a daily basis, would cry in his cell, wishing that he had never done those terrible things. But there he was, in his cell, crying.

"May, Ash, I'm so sorry." Drew cried out as he situated himself in the corner with his head drooped down into his knees. There, muffled cries echoed the cell and the hallway outside.

The sounds of footsteps caused him to look up, and he gasped in shock when he saw that it was May and Ash, whose head injury was all healed up.

"M-M-May? A-Ash?" Drew stuttered with his eyes wide open. Ash and May gave a nod back, and they stood in front of the cell bars, "Why...why are you here?"

"We wanted to check up on you. To see if you are doing better." May answered.

"Even though you've done much to hurt us, we still care about you." Ash added.

"I don't...I really don't deserve this. I don't deserve your sympathy. Why do you still care about me?"

"It's because, even though you hurt me, hurt Ash, and even threatened to hurt my brother, you are still our friend." May replied.

That did it. The tears flowed down from Drew's eyes, and he covered his face in shame. Standing up, he walked closer to Ash and May.

"I know I won't have, or deserve, your forgiveness, but I'm so sorry for everything I've done. I should have respected you two from the beginning, but I was too stubborn that I lost myself to my lust." Drew said sadly. "I promise that, with all my power and resolve to better myself, I will never interfere with you two, and I will try to help the world the best I can."

"Those are honorable words, and I greatly respect that." Ash smiled.

"And yes, we, or I, can't forgive you, but I can at least see out that you build yourself together and hopefully still remain rivals with me." May gave a wholehearted smile, sticking out her hand for Drew to shake. Without hesitation, Drew took it, and for the first time in a long time, he gave a genuine smile.

"Thank you. Thank you both, so, so much." He said as he released his hand from May.

"It's no problem, and I'm glad that you're back to your original self." May grinned, before she and Ash began heading out.

Before they could leave, Drew called out to then once more.

"Hey, wait!" He shouted. Ash and May turned around in confusion, "I think you two look great together. And I hope that your relationship lasts till the end of time." Drew smiled.

Ash and May smiled as well, and they waved their goodbyes before heading out. They walked out of the Police station towards the closest park. They sat down onto a bench, and they watched as little kids played with their Pokémon.

"I'm glad we decided to visit Drew." May finally said.

"Me too. It feels a lot better knowing that Drew realized his wrongs, and that he is striving to do as much good as possible."

May nodded, agreeing with Ash. They sat in silence, and May leaned up against Ash to use his shoulder as a head rest. Ash smiled and wrapped his arm around her, making her feel warmer and much more comfortable.

"What are we going to do, now?" May asked, looking up into Ash's eyes.

"I...I don't know, actually. It's up to you." Ash answered. May shrugged, and they returned their attention back to the kids, who were now playing a game of tag with their Pokémon. What they would do next, they didn't really know as of now. But they knew for sure that, wherever they went, and whatever they did, they would do it together, not as friends, but as two people who fell deeply in love with each other.


	17. Ending 2 Chapter 14

**Welcome to the first chapter of the second ending! Let me just warn you all that the next few chapters will be pretty painful for Advanceshippers out there, so please bear with me! Anyways, I hope that my writing didn't stink here, because, for awhile now, I've been trying plan things out and trying to make things flow as smoothly and naturally as possible, and this chapter was pretty tough for me to write.**

 **Other than that, thanks for the favorites, follows and reviews as always!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon**

* * *

 **Ending #2**

 **Chapter 14**

Ash grunted as he tried to move the boulder aside. He was beginning to tire out, and he couldn't feel his legs anymore, due to the pressure of being stuck in between the boulder and the canyon wall. Blood began to trickle down his leg, and he knew he had to get out of here, fast.

"Piiika!" Pikachu tried to help Ash by pushing rock, only to find that it didn't budge. No matter what, even with both Ash and Pikachu's efforts to move the boulder, it still remained where it was.

With one last push, Ash exhausted himself, feeling sore and numb all over his body. He looked up into the sky to the edges of the ravine to see if May was on her way, but he couldn't see anything from where he was positioned.

" _May, where are you?_ " Ash wondered, panting and feeling weak.

A few more minutes passed, and Ash was beginning to feel nauseous and lightheaded. Sweat dripped down his forehead, and he reached for his Pokéballs on his belt. Grabbing a Pokéball, he chucked it into the air to reveal Corphish. The lobster-like Pokémon blinked a few times before noticing the terrible state Ash was in.

"Corphish Cor!" It exclaimed in worry.

"Don't worry, just use Bubble Beam on the boulder so it will break." Ash said weakly.

Corphish obliged and shot several bursts of bubbles from its claws, onto the boulder, breaking it down into small rocks and freeing Ash. Because of the blast and shattering of the boulder, Ash ended up getting a few cuts over his already injured leg. Ash didn't seem to react to the cuts, for he felt pleased from being no longer trapped by the large rock.

Ash breathed a sigh of relief and tried to stretch his legs, only to find that the leg he was caught on couldn't move and was mostly stained in red. Pikachu and Corphish were noticeably shaken by the amount of blood loss, and they tried to assist Ash while he was limping.

Ash looked up from the canyon and scouted the walls, looking for an easy way up. All he was greeted with was the steep, sharp features of the rocky wall, and, overwhelmed, he clutched the back of his head.

"Now, how do I get out of here?" he asked aloud.

* * *

" _What do I do?_ "

...

" _What do I do?_ "

A soft whimper resonated in the woods.

" _What am I supposed to do?_ "

May desired the answers to her troubles so, so much, but she knew that in such a cruel, harsh, and unforgiving world, she would have to find the answers by herself.

"Ash..." May made a choking sound as a single tear drop fell down her cheeks and onto her thigh, "...Ash...I need you."

Not knowing what to do, May submitted to her tears and let them flow freely. Not even bothering to wipe them away, May let herself drown in her sorrows and melancholy. The more she let her dark thoughts cloud her mind, the more she couldn't think properly and rationally. Now, she felt as if there was no other way out of this doom other than to listen to Drew and hope that things resolved themselves.

"For Max..." May told herself, "I have to do this for Max...I have to." She told herself that this was for the better, that in the end, everyone will be happy, that her relationship with Ash wouldn't be broken at all.

"It will be fine...it will be fine." May repeated to herself, although her voice became less confident and quieter. "It's going...it's going to...be..."

But who was she kidding. It wasn't going to be fine. And she knew that. It hurt...a lot...to think about what she will soon enough be doing to Ash, how she will be crushing his emotions, his dreams, his trust, and his heart. After this, there would be no way he would want to be with her anymore. And that thought scorched her heart.

"Ash...please forgive me!" May cried out loud, although her prayers were only heard by the trees and grass. "I'm sorry for what I'll have to do to you! Please forgive me. Please...forgive me."

* * *

"Great job, Corphish! You've carved our way out!" Ash exclaimed as he recalled Corphish into its Pokéball. Tucking the Pokéball onto his belt, Ash limped his way up a ramp that Corphish had created by carving and destroying the wall. As he slowly made his way up, he winced in pain, for destroying a large portion of the ravine didn't come without consequence; Ash ignored the pain from the deep cuts on his arms and legs that resulted from falling rocks, and he focused on getting up to safety first. Once Ash and Pikachu reached the top and out of harms way, a wave of relief hit them, and they collapsed onto their backs in exhaustion.

"We did it, Pikachu!" Ash grinned, grabbing the grass beside him and staring straight up into the sky, "We finally got out!"

"Pika, Pikapi!" Pikachu exclaimed, laying on the ground next to Ash and wiping his head of sweat.

Ash flipped himself over and checked up on Pikachu.

"You're not hurt too badly, right?" He asked, checking for any wounds.

"Pika!" Pikachu shook his head in response, then pointed at the injuries riddled all over Ash. The injuries looked terrible, for they were bruised and cut up, and noticing how he was bleeding quite a bit, Pikachu, in a concerned tone, asked, "Pikapi?"

"Hey, don't worry about me," Ash chuckled, although he immediately clutched his arms and legs in pain, "the main point is that you are safe, and I'm perfectly happy with that."

"Pikaaaa." Pikachu protested while lightly tugging on Ash's arm, for he felt that Ash was being too selfless and needed to learn how to look after himself.

"What are you talking about?" Ash denied, "I'm just like any other person who cares about the safety of others, like Brock, Misty, and-" Ash gasped, "-May!" Ash quickly stood up and searched the woods for any sign of the coordinator, "May, we've gotta find her! She's probably still looking for a way down the canyon!"

Ash ran as fast as he could with his injured legs, and he scouted the perimeter of the ravine for the brunette. As they ran, Pikachu, with his sensitive hearing, picked up the sounds of distress off in the distance, and he motioned for his best friend to follow him.

"You found her?" Ash asked, feeling a smile grow on his face, "Great, we should hurry!"

Pikachu wanted to match his trainer's optimism, but he couldn't quite grip why he could only hear the sounds of crying in the distance. Hoping that he was hearing incorrectly, Pikachu became evermore worried and feared the worst.

The sounds of crying grew closer, and that's when Ash was beginning to feel concerned. Fastening his pace, all he could hope for was that May was alright. However, that didn't appear to be the case, as he laid his eyes on the form of a distressed May, who still hadn't moved an inch. He noticed the flood of tears dripping down from her face, and he felt immense pain in his chest from seeing such a sight.

"May, what's wrong?" Ash asked worriedly as he rushed beside her. Not getting a reply, Ash put a reassuring arm around her back. "May?"

May's heart dropped upon feeling Ash's arm and hearing his voice the second time he said her name. The whole time she had been sulking over the trainer and how she hated that she had to hurt him, and now that he was here, next to her, all those fears of losing Ash swarmed her mind and overwhelmed her.

"May, what's wrong? What happened?" Ash asked again, kneeling in front of her and gently caressing her face to get her to look at him.

May glanced at his soft, caring eyes, and as she stared into his eyes, she could briefly feel the warmth and comfort she had always felt being near him. However, that was short lived, as she broke contact with his eyes.

"N-no, nothing hap-happened." May choked out a lie while looking down at the ground.

"May," Ash tried to get her to look at his face, but she closed her eyes and looked away in shame, "May, you know that I'm always here for you. I'm here to listen to your worries and concerns, and if there is anything wrong, you can always tell me."

" _I know you will always be there for me._ " May covered her face in guilt, " _And now I'm going to have to break your heart...because I'm a terrible person. I'm sorry, Ash. I don't deserve your respect and love._ "

"I know. But I'm telling you, th-there is nothing...wrong." May finally said with no confidence.

"May, there's no need to deny it! I know there's something wrong, and you've gotta tell me what's bothering you so I can help." Ash said with urgency.

"And I'm telling you not to worry about it!" May yelled out, though her voice cracked from emotional stress.

May noticed how Ash jumped back from surprise, letting go of her in the process, and how he looked completely saddened and crushed. If she didn't hate herself before, she definitely did now.

Ash, not knowing what was going on inside May's head, decided to leave the subject in order to reduce the tension in the air, although he was still very worried about her.

"Alright then, May..." Ash spoke, not knowing what to do next, "So, what now?"

"I don't know." May answered honestly.

"Should we continue our search for Drew?" Ash asked, briefly looking around the forest.

Upon hearing that name, May felt a sickening feeling in her stomach and she clenched her fists in anger for what the coordinator has done to her.

Not noticing the built-up anger in May, Ash repeated his question.

"Should we keep looking for Drew?"

Once again, that feeling of resentment and dread filled May's body as she heard his name.

"I...I don't know." Was all that she could answer.

"May?"

"I said I don't know!" May shouted, surprising Ash and Pikachu. Taking deep breaths and a few minutes to calm herself of misery, she lowered her voice, "How about...we just...head back to the Center."

Ash nodded, and he tried to assist May in standing up, but she brushed his arms aside. Dejected, Ash just followed May, limping every step and wincing in pain, although he did notice that May was somewhat hesitant about pushing his arms away, as if she didn't want to do it. But for what reasons, he didn't know, and that was killing him.

May could tell from Ash's injuries that he was having a lot of trouble moving around, and as much as she wanted to assist him, she didn't want to risk having Drew see her doing such a courteous and caring action.

" _Drew, I hope you're happy,_ " May thought with contempt, " _because with how things are going, your wish is coming true, you evil, rotten, sorry of an excuse jerk. I hope you have it coming to you._ " May sighed aloud. " _What's gotten into you?_ "

* * *

Upon returning to the Pokémon Center, Ash and Pikachu were immediately ushered by Chansey into a room. Seeing Ash disappear from view, May sulked her way toward Nurse Joy, asking if she could stay in a room. Nurse Joy replied that she could stay in any of the rooms until a patient required the room. Thanking the Nurse, although with little emotion and enthusiasm, May walked away. Not focusing on where she was walking, she would accidentally stumble into a passerby here and there.

May entered a room and closed the door behind her. Flopping onto the bed, May found herself to be crying again. She undid her bandana and tossed it messily onto the ground, not caring about anything in the world except for Ash. She grabbed the pillow on the bed and threw it with all her anger across the room, watching the pillow plop helplessly onto the ground. She crumpled up the bed sheet in anger, and she kicked her legs and pounded her arms on the bed in frustration, after which she began crying into hands again. This appeared to be the cycle for her, as she constantly became angry about Drew and afterward becoming depressed about her treatment toward Ash. She felt hopeless and miserable.

* * *

"Alright, mister, you seem to be all patched up now, so take it easy for the rest of the night. Please refrain from getting up and leaving the room, unless it's for the bathroom or for dinner in the cafeteria. Tomorrow morning, I will be checking up on you again, and if everything seems fine, you may leave as early as tomorrow in the afternoon." Nurse Joy summarized, picking up her clipboard and preparing to leave the room.

"Thank you so, so much, Nurse Joy." Ash said as he saw her leave and close the door. Ash had several bandages around his arms and legs, and he still felt a bit of pain from the cuts, although they are not as severe.

Ash looked up at the clock in the room to see that it was just past 8:00 in the night, and that's when his stomach grumbled.

"Well, I suppose we should head down to the cafeteria and get something to eat, right?" Ash asked Pikachu while scratching him beneath the chin.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu agreed with Ash, and he tried to push his best friend up from the bed so he could stand up.

"Heh, thanks, buddy." Ash grinned, and he limped his way toward the door. After leaving his room, Ash began limping his way down the hallway towards the cafeteria, where he could hear the sounds of plates and utensils being placed onto tables, and chairs moving along the floor. Upon entering the cafeteria, he could see that there were few people there, probably because it was getting late, and he couldn't seem to find May there.

"Hmmm, it seems that May already ate dinner." Ash said, although mostly to himself, "I wonder what's gotten her acting so strangely and almost angry-like? She's never been like this before, and even if she has, she'd never hesitate to tell me what's bothering her."

"Pikaa." Pikachu said sadly, drooping his ears and wondering what was going on with May as well.

"I hope she's doing alright, and hopefully we'll find her soon. Heck, I don't even know which room she's staying in, or if she's even here at all." Ash looked down at the ground and sighed.

"Pikapi, Pika Pikachu." Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder and patted his head.

"Yeah, your right. I'm overreacting. She wouldn't leave me," Ash said as he settled down at a table, "but for some reason, I just can't help but feel that she's avoiding me. Like, she's been trying to stay away from me, and the moment I try to talk to her, she gets annoyed. Augh, what do I do? Is it something I'm doing? Did I do something wrong and upset her?"

Pikachu shrugged, not knowing any better than Ash in this situation.

"This is starting to stress me out. After dinner, I'm gonna look for her and try and see if she's willing to talk to me. I really want to make things up with her if I've done something wrong. I can't stand possibility of losing her."

Ash subconsciously dug into his pockets and held onto his half of the Terracotta ribbon. Unbeknownst to him, the girl on his mind was also gripping onto her half of the ribbon, and as they both held their halves, they could briefly feel comfort and warmth build up in their body as their minds thought of each other.

* * *

"Where could she be?" Ash wondered aloud while looking around the Pokémon Center.

Pikachu wondered the same thing as he walked with his best friend, until his ears picked up the same sounds of crying.

"Pika!" Pikachu tugged on Ash's jeans before showing him the way. Slowly, as they made their way through a hall of rooms, they could hear the sounds of faint crying coming from one of the rooms. As they neared the door and listened to the crying, they could make out how the person inside seemed to occasionally cry out Ash's name.

"This is the one!" Ash whispered to Pikachu, before facing the door. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door.

"May? It's me, Ash. May I please come inside?" Ash asked.

After a few seconds of no response, May responded, shouting out, "Go away!"

"But, May, I came here to talk things out and see what I've been doing wrong to make you all upset!"

Inside the room, May gasped in shock, not expecting him to say that.

" _You...you think I'm acting all distant from you...because of something you've done?_ " May thought out loud, clutching her aching chest in grief.

"May, what ever it is that I did, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry, and all that I wish for is to see you smile again, and to see you all happy and cheerful." Ash continued.

"Ash..." May muttered quietly. She didn't care if her tears wet her entire bed; she needed to cry them out.

"May?" Ash called out uncertainly.

"...Ash, just please leave me alone. Just...please." Was all that May could muster.

"But-"

"Ash!" May said a bit forcefully, before lowering her voice again, "Please...just leave me alone."

Ash was about to protest against her, but decided that he should listen and leave her to avoid any arguments.

"Come on, buddy. Let's go." Ash told Pikachu with little enthusiasm, "I'm not really in the mood to do anything else, so let's just sleep."

"Pikaa." Pikachu agreed, following Ash back to their room.

* * *

Not even bothering to change into her sleepwear, and after retrieving the pillow that was thrown across the room, May decided to get some shut eye. Perhaps, if she were asleep, she would be in less pain from the real world. But, as she laid in bed, tossing and turning every couple seconds, she'd pound the mattress in frustration from being unable to sleep, and because she was still awake, her thoughts naturally drifted towards Ash. As she thought of him she'd cry again. What a long night it's gonna be.


	18. Ending 2 Chapter 15

**Thanks for the favorites, follows, and reviews!**

 **Warning: Extremely cliche moment at the end. When you get to that part, please don't hate me :)**

 **Also, sorry for the slow pacing of the story. Things will escalate very soon.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.**

* * *

 **Ending #2**

 **Chapter 15**

May followed Ash through a vast meadow. Here, they walked through a field of colorful flowers with blue, purple, red, and white petals, and they could see many tall spruce trees off in the distance. Coupled with the cloudless, blue sky and a bright sun shining overhead, this place seemed like the ideal nature getaway, as May happily skipped across the field.

"Hahaha!" May laughed as she spun around a few times, completely enjoying the scenery, "This place is absolutely beautiful!"

May saw how Ash was smiling at her while she was enjoying the moment, and she beamed at him.

"Yeah, this place is pretty amazing." Ash agreed as May skipped her way towards him, "But you wanna know what's even more beautiful?"

"Wh-what is?" May asked shyly as she felt herself redden in the cheeks. She blushed even more as she saw Ash inch his face closer to hers. Anticipating a kiss, she closed her eyes and waited for his lips to connect with hers.

May waited, but instead, she felt a flick on her forehead, and she opened her eyes to see Ash grinning.

"How flustered you can become." Ash answered slyly. He laughed and ran away, getting a head start so May couldn't attack him.

Shaking her head to clear her mind of shock and annnoyance, May ran after Ash, swearing to get him back.

"Ash Ketchum! You better come back and apologize right now, or else!" She threatened as she saw Ash slow down but continue run just ahead of her to keep her from tackling him.

"Or else what?" Ash grinned, knowing she wouldn't really do anything to him.

"I'll...I'll...I don't know! Just get back here!" May yelled, although she herself was quite enjoying this little game of theirs.

As they ran through the meadow, laughing about, May's eyes shifted to a still figure standing far away near the trees, watching them. As she inspected the figure, she found that the environment around them seemed to darken and become more gloomy. She felt rain drops fall onto her skin, and she looked up to see that the sky was covered completely by dark, ominous clouds. The rain fell harder and harder with each passing second, and a single lightning streak lit up the sky.

"What the...how did the sky become dark so quickly?" May wondered aloud.

Her gaze went back to the figure by the trees, and she could see that his features were becoming much more clear to the eye. Specifically his green hair.

Thunder crackled above, causing May to briefly cover her ears to block out the sound. She had long stopped running, as she was disorientated and confused, and after she recovered from the sound of the thunder, she focused her eyes on the figure again, who was now walking toward her.

"Drew?!" May gasped as she could make out the features of his face. She could make out his devilish smirk, and as he walked closer, May could hear the sounds of sobbing echoing around her.

"Wha-what's happening?" May took a few steps back in fear and confusion. Suddenly, the sobbing ceased to echo around the meadow, but instead focused on the figure of a crestfallen trainer.

"Ash? Ash?!" May cried out, running towards him once she noticed how he was kneeling on the ground, crying into his palms.

"Ash!" May started to crumble on the inside. Tears were welling up in her eyes, and as she tried to run closer to Ash, she saw that, somehow, Ash, who was still on the ground and not moving a muscle, was getting further away from her. The ground between her and the trainer seemed to expand, never allowing the coordinator to reach him.

"ASH!" May called out again as she was starting to become enervated. This time, Ash responded to her voice, but when he raised his head to look at her, the stress and disheartened look on his face caused May's heart to drop.

"S-s-stay away from me!" He cried out as he wobbled onto his feet.

"Ash?" May's heart tore in two, "Ash, what do you mean?" She managed to choke out.

"You left me...and you broke my heart!" Ash screamed at her before turning away and running off into the distance as fast as possible.

"No, Ash! Please! Wait!" May reached her hand out for him. However, it was of no use as he continued to run away from her, all while the ground between them increased significantly. "No! Ash! ASH!"

Ash's running figure grew smaller and smaller as he ran further and further away. Losing her will to run and watch her loved one run away from her, May collapsed onto the ground. An influx of emotions tugged at her heart, and all she could to was weep. Suddenly, she felt a presence at her side, and she looked up to see that evil smirk she grew to hate.

"Congratulations, you destroyed his heart." Drew laughed eerily, "Now...experience eternal dread as you begin realize how he will never return to you, how he will never seek your touch, your comfort, and your love."

Looking back at Ash's direction, May saw that, the help of lightning's light, Ash disappeared behind the trees.

"No...no, no, no, this can't be happening." May breathed heavily and rapidly, "THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING! ASH! AAASSH!"

* * *

"ASH!" May shot up from bed, breathing heavily. Taking a moment to calm herself, May's breathing gradually slowed down, causing her heart to pace normally.

Lightning quickly lit up the room, drawing May's attention to the window. Adjusting her eyes to the light, she could see that she was in her room in the Pokémon Center. She also noticed that the room was still fairly dim, due to the storm clouds, and that it was pouring outside.

"It...it was just a dream." May said quietly, "Just a dream. Yet...it felt so...real...and so terrifying."

May positioned her arms behind her back and onto the pillow to rest against, and that's when she felt that the pillowcase was moist. Peering over her shoulder, she saw that it was wet, and she realized that she had been crying during the night.

May huddled her knees to her chest as she tried to forget the details of the nightmare. She tried to think of positive thoughts, but her mind always drifted back to the heartbreaking scene where Ash left her, never wanting to see her again.

"Ash..." May whimpered, "...please don't leave me..."

She repeated the lines over and over again, although she knew that, even though she was begging for Ash to never leave her side, she was essentially doing just that to him. And that thought hurt her. Now, crying was all that she could do, and that seemed to be her new normal.

After silently weeping into her arms, May decided it was time that she finally ate, especially since she missed out on dinner the previous night to sulk in her room. She climbed out of bed and looked at herself in a small desktop mirror on the table. She looked absolutely gloomy and messy, as her hair was all over the place and her face had dark circles under her eyes. Deciding to put a little effort in making herself look presentable to the world, she took out a hair comb from her fanny pack and briefly combed her hair to straighten it out. As she did so, she just couldn't put her heart and enthusiasm into combing, so she gave up and left for the cafeteria.

May walked into the cafeteria and picked up a food tray from a rack. Treading her way through the line for breakfast, she ended up only getting a simple sandwich. Normally, she'd eat as much food as possible, stuffing her face with anything in sight, but now she had no passion and excitement in doing that.

She settled down at a table and ate slowly. Because her mind was occupied by depressing thoughts, she drained out the background sounds of the cafeteria and focused on the sounds of rain fall and thunder outside. As she listened to the sounds of nature, her thoughts then drifted back to her nightmare, where everything went terribly wrong when the storm clouds came. Now, the sounds of rain and thunder caused her grief and agony, and she covered her ears to block out everything. As she did so, she groaned in frustration, causing people nearby to look at her like there was something wrong. Eventually, May slid the tray to the side and buried her face in her arms on the table. There, she tried her hardest to get the nightmare out of her head.

" _This hurts so, so much. How do I get these thoughts out of my head?"_ May wondered frantically. As the thoughts overwhelmed her, May began to consider visiting Ash " _...maybe...one short visit to his room won't hurt. At least I'll be able to see him and possibly talk to him before heading back to my room, just in case Drew sees me."_ May shivered at his name. " _Drew...how could you?"_

Shaking her head, May sat up straight and continued to eat her sandwich. Once she was done, she placed her tray in a section for dirty trays, and she slowly walked her way toward Ash's room.

" _Wait, where is his room?"_ May wondered as she walked through the hallways. She looked around at the doors near her unsurely, wondering if Ash was inside. As she continued to search for him, she slowly became frustrated.

"Ash, where are you?" Her voice shook. Just then, she saw a door open just ahead of her, and she saw Nurse Joy walk out.

"Just keep it easy, and other than that, you can leave whenever you'd like." May heard the nurse say.

"Thanks, Nurse Joy!" She heard another voice call out before the nurse closed the door behind her. The voice was undoubtedly Ash's, and for once, May smiled as she was nearing his room.

May walked up to his door and took a deep breath. As she placed her hand on the door knob, negative thoughts suddenly flooded her mind.

" _Will he be happy to see me? Will he be upset with how I've been treating him lately? Does he...does he still love me?"_ May started to breath frantically. She let go of the door knob and bit on her fingers in worry.

" _May, calm down. You have to see him. You have to show him that you DO care for him. That you aren't ignoring him for no reason."_

May gulped, and she slowly twisted the door knob open. The door creaked, causing Ash and Pikachu, both of whom were on the bed, to look in her direction. May shyly closed the door behind her and looked at Ash worryingly. For awhile, Ash stared straight into May's eyes, making her feel more and more unsure about herself.

"Hey...Ash." Was all she could muster as she rubbed her arms.

Ash continued to just look at her. May was close to being overwhelmed by guilt and stress, until she saw the contortions of his lips turned upwards.

"May! You're here!" Ash exclaimed cheerfully as he threw the covers of the bed off himself and weakly ran towards her, enveloping her in a massive hug.

May was caught off guard, as she had expected him to yell at her and voice how he was disappointed in her behavior. She returned his hug, and she smiled into his chest as she felt her cheeks starting to warm up.

"May! I thought you weren't going to visit me! I was beginning to get worried!" Ash said as he pulled her in closer, hugging her tightly as if she were the only thing that mattered to him in the world.

"A-Ash. I'm so sorry." May murmured as she felt tears build up in her eyes. She smiled, for this time, her tears weren't from sadness and agony, but from genuine happiness.

Pikachu smiled as he saw how Ash and May were enjoying each other's comforts, although he was confused about May's sudden mood swings. Last night, he had to comfort Ash after she had shut him down, and now, here she was, happily interacting with Ash.

Ash released May from his arms and finally took in May's appearance. He noticed how May seemed to have lacked sleep, based on how tired her eyes looked, and he saw how her hair wasn't done like usual.

"May, are you alright? Did you sleep at all?" Ash asked as he grasped her shoulders.

"Y-yeah, I did..." May lied, fearing that if she told him the truth, their conversation would somehow turn to Drew and his intentions. May didn't want to risk anything, such as the possibility of Drew's finding out about their visit, so she quickly changed the topic. "Ash, are you alright? How are your legs and your injuries?"

"Well, they are getting better." Ash scratched the back of his head, "It still hurts to walk, and the cuts on my arms and legs kinda sting a bit, but otherwise I'm feeling a lot better."

"Phew, that's good." May breathed a sigh of relief. "Do you just want to sit down for a bit? It'll be better for your legs."

"Yeah, that's a good idea." Ash said as he walked back to his bed and sat onto the mattress. May followed closely and sat down beside him on the mattress. She lay her head on his shoulder as Ash held her hand on her thigh. They both closed their eyes for the next few minutes as they simply enjoyed each other's comforts, and eventually, they lost track of time.

"...So...when do you plan to leave this place?" May asked, looking up into Ash's eyes.

"Well, we can leave whenever you want to." Ash replied, staring lovingly back at May.

"Well, we can leave once your injuries are all healed up. That way, it won't hurt during our travels." May said as she playfully squeezed his arm.

"Okay, sure." Ash chuckled. "But, if we do that, what about our search for Drew?"

" _Drew!"_ May had completely forgotten about him. She quickly hopped onto her feet and headed for the door. " _Who knows how long I've been here! For all I know, he could have somehow overheard us because of how much time we spent!"_

Ash stood up and started to walk after May with a worried face.

"May? What's wrong?" he asked.

May immediately turned around from the doorway and gave a weak, unconvincing smile.

"Oh, there's nothing wrong! I just...forgot something, that's all! No need to worry!" She called out as she left and closed the door.

Ash stood facing the closed door before looking back at Pikachu with a confused and concerned expression.

"Do you happen to know what's going on?" he asked meekly.

"Pika..." Pikachu said sadly, not knowing either.

Ash sat back down, rubbing his chin as he contemplated.

"Something is not making sense. For some reason, May seemed down in the dumps the whole time yesterday, ignoring and trying to avoid me, then she seemed all happy and normal when she just visited me. Now, all of a sudden, she needs to be somewhere in a rush." Ash said. "I wonder if it has something to do with when I mentioned Drew's name?"

"Pika pikachu?"

"Yeah, maybe I should go look for her. Maybe, just maybe, I'll know what is causing May's mood swings."

* * *

May quickly walked through the hallways toward her room. When she neared her door, her heart dropped as she heard a familiar, sickening voice.

"Well, I knew that if I stayed here, I would find you." May saw her rival with his arms crossed and his back against the wall. Drew smirked as he got off the wall and walked toward her.

"Augh, what do you want now, Drew? Are you here to ruin my day even more? Completely destroy any last remains of positivity and optimism in me?" May growled as she faced him.

"Well, I guess you could say that." Drew chuckled.

"Well, I'm not going to hear it. Goodbye." May spat out as she turned her door knob. However, Drew grabbed her wrist with immense pressure, causing her to squeal in pain.

"Heheh, you WILL listen to me." Drew snarled. As he applied more pressure onto her wrist, May was about to scream for help, until he covered her mouth with his hand. "You might not want to do that. You see, if you get in the way, I have my Flygon on the outside, ready to go. And you know what would happen, don't you?" Drew said in a mocking voice. Knowing that May couldn't do anything, he released her wrist and withdrew his hand from her mouth.

"You crazy, disgusting lunatic." May growled.

"No, I wouldn't label myself as such. I'd be just a guy getting revenge on this girl who ruined my life." Drew spoke with an arrogant voice. "Now then, if you are wondering, I am here because I've decided that the way you are going about your betrayal on Ketchum is going too slowly."

"Slowly? Then what the heck do you want?! I've already devastated him! Please, let us go back to our normal lives!" May pleaded.

"No, no, no. I'm not letting you off that easily." Drew said. "I realized that there was a minor flaw in my plan. I realized that, if you took your time to break his heart, then your little brother would have returned to safety at home. By then, I wouldn't have any leverage. Therefore, I order you to completely call off your relationship with him and berate him right now."

"What?! No! I can't do that! I...can't." May's eyes widened in shock.

Drew noticed movement in the background, and that's when he knew that his plan would out perfectly. May noticed how Drew's attention seemed to be shifted toward something or someone behind her, but before she could turn and see who it was, she felt Drew suddenly pull her into an embrace and his lips plastered against hers. Due to shock, she couldn't move, and for awhile, they remained in that position.

"May, I didn't know you loved me like that." Drew said as sincerely as possible when he released her from his embrace.

"W-what?" May felt confused. Then it occurred to her. Drew wouldn't do anything like that out of the blue, so he must have done it in the presence of someone.

" _Oh god. Please don't let it be him. Please don't let it be Ash. Please."_ May hoped as she slowly turned around. But, all her hopes and dreams were immediately thrown out the window, as she laid eyes on the trainer.

"Oh no."


	19. Ending 2 Chapter 16

**Hi everyone! Thanks for the favorites, follows, and reviews! A lot of you were worried about where this story is going, especially about if it's going to be a happy ending, and all I have to say is trust me on this!**

 **On another note, sorry about how short this chapter is and if it seems rushed at parts. I've been procrastinating a lot and realized that I needed to write something fast. As I was writing this, I figured that the end of the chapter was a good place to stop, even though it may upset you. So sorry again. Anyways, only a few more chapters left!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon.**

* * *

 **Ending #2**

 **Chapter 16**

"Oh no."

Before her was the sight of a shocked, gaping Ash. May and Ash locked eyes, and as May's eyes were filling with tears of guilt and regret, Ash's eyes watered from betrayal, confusion, fear, and anguish.

"Ash..." May whimpered, although her voice was barely audible. Ash still stood in place, staring straight at her, unmoving. "...Ash?" May tried again.

May slowly walked toward him with hesitation and worry. With each step she took, all the background noises were drowned out by his heavy, irregular breathing. Soon enough, the panic in his breathing started to tear into May's soul, as she wanted desperately to convince him and herself that everything was going to be alright.

She reached for his cheek, hoping to comfort him and show that she intended to be completely loyal to him, but before she could, she saw that something clicked in Ash's eyes; She saw the most unrecognizable, unfamiliar, and almost frightening expression on his face, and as she caressed his cheek, he swatted her hand away.

"D-don't touch me! I see now that you've been avoiding me to keep in touch with him!" he snarled, taking a few steps back, before making an odd choking and crying sound and running away through the hallways.

His words were venom to her ears, and May felt a tremendous amount of pain in her heart. She clutched her chest tightly, as the dam behind her eyes broke. She felt a ghostly chill shiver her body, and she couldn't find the power to move. She whimpered, and all she wanted to do was collapse onto the ground and seize to exist. But she couldn't.

As Ash's footsteps grew fainter and fainter in the distance, May managed to find the willpower to move.

"No! Ash! Wait!" May cried out, but Ash was either well out of range to hear her, or he ignored her plea. Without wasting a second, May ran after him, while an evilly smirking Drew chuckled in satisfaction.

May ran through the corridors of the building, looking around for any sign of Ash. After running around without any progress, she stopped in place to try and listen for him or Pikachu, but all she could hear was his voice inside her mind, telling her in a hurtful manner, those same venomous words: " _Don't touch me!"_

Shaking her head wildly, May decided that all she could do was run, for she couldn't stand his voice and how painful it was. She rushed through the hallways, stumbling past the occupants and workers, and decided to find the exit. Rushing past the main lobby, May exploded out the front doors, looking left and right for Ash. Noticing something from the bottom of her eye, May gasped when she saw blood stains on the ground, leading away from the Pokémon Center and away from the town. She followed the blood trail and noticed that it led to the fields. Looking at grassland and the trees off in the far distance, she could spot Ash's limping figure far away, with Pikachu on his shoulder.

"Ash!" May called out, but the trainer was too far away to hear her. Grunting, May sprinted through the grass, slowly shortening the distance between them. As May got closer, she could see that Ash was struggling to run, since his bandages were drenched in red. She figured that his wounds opened up from running, so she ran ever faster to catch up to him.

"Ash! Please stop!" May called out again, seeing as how she was only a couple feet away from him now. "Ash, please listen to me!"

"Get away from me!" Ash yelled, never looking back.

"Ash, please, I can explain!"

"Explain what? Explain how you tricked me into thinking that we were searching for Drew when you were with him all along?" Ash said mockingly.

"No! That's not it at all!" May panted as she was closing in on Ash. Ash quickly glanced back and glared at her.

"I said get away from me! I'm not going to listen to your lies again!" Ash shouted, before turning around and tossing two Pokeballs into the air. Sceptile and Corphish materialized, ready for combat. "Corphish, Sceptile, keep her away from me!"

A little surprised by the order, the Pokemon faced the brunette, who stopped running. Corphish unleashed a barrage of bubble bursts around May's feet, causing the dirt and dust to fly up and cloud the air around her, while Sceptile unleashed a barrage of seeds at the ground like Corphish to further disorientate May.

Coughing, May had to cover her face to prevent the dirt from getting into her eyes. She ran to the sides to get away from the cloud of dust, and when she got into a clearing, she saw Ash's figure getting smaller in the distance as he neared the woods.

"No!" May cried out as she ran toward him, but her shout caught the attention of Sceptile and Corphish. Noticing that the two were preparing for another attack, May grabbed hold of her Pokéball and chucked it into the air, revealing Beautifly.

Corphish and Sceptile repeated their onslaught, striking the dirt to disorientated May, but May was ready.

"Beautifly, use Gust to blow away the dirt and their attacks!" May commanded.

Beautifly fluttered its wings rapidly, dispersing the dust and blowing the bubbles and seeds back toward Corphish and Sceptile. Caught off guard, Corphish and Sceptile received their own attacks, getting knocked back. Noticing that May and Beautifly were advancing toward them, Sceptile pounded the ground with its foot, causing massive roots to rise from the earth and block May's path. The roots sprouted wildly until there was virtually no way for May to get past. Seeing as how May was stuck, Sceptile and Corphish retreated, running away after their trainer.

"No! No!" May yelled in frustration as she couldn't find a way around the plants. She clenched her fists and fought against her tears. Suddenly, an idea popped in her mind, and she recalled Beautifly into its Pokéball. She took out another Pokéball and summoned her starter, Blaziken. Blaziken stood facing May, awaiting orders. "Blaziken, I need you to burn your way through the roots. We need to get to Ash!"

Without hesitation, Blaziken spewed out a concentrated blast of fire from its mouth onto the plants. With effort, the plants slowly burned away, creating a path to walk through.

"Great job, Blaziken!" May encouraged her Pokémon. "Keep it up!"

"BLAAAAZIKEN!" The Pokémon exclaimed as it shot an even more intense blast of fire. As a result, the roots that blocked their way were completely burned away.

"Yes! Thanks, Blaziken! Now we have to look for Ash. He's probably long gone by now." May said, squinting far into the distance to look for Ash, but didn't see any sign of him. "Darn, I can't find him! And I don't see any blood trails either. I guess the only thing we can do is run in the direction we last saw him go. Come on!" May motioned for Blaziken to follow.

The two ran through the path they created, straight into the forest. They ran as fast as they could in the plant-infested area, dodging the trees and shrubs here and there. But, because the woods was so cramped, May would accidentally get cut up by branches that stuck out, but she didn't care. She sucked up the pain and ran.

* * *

Ash didn't know how long he ran for. All he knew was that he was tired, his leg was killing him, and that he had to keep moving. Corphish and Sceptile had long returned by his side, which Ash thanked them and recalled them into their Pokeballs. Pikachu, who was clinging onto his hat, pleaded for Ash to stop and take things easy.

"Pikachu, I can't stop now. I have to get as far away from her as possible." Ash panted out. He ran as best as he could in the maze of trees. Not paying attention to his footing, he tripped over a root that was stuck out, and he fell into a clearing onto a smooth rock surface. Groaning, Ash picked himself up and saw that he was by the edge of a steep cliff that towered over the trees below. Limping to a part of the cliff that protruded off the side of the wall, he could see settlement off in the distance.

Ash looked up into the sky and saw that the sun now casted a hazy orange glow onto the sky, and that's when he realized that the sun was just starting to set. He decided to sit down on the ledge, dangling his legs in the air, and he took a deep breath as he took in the view. Pikachu got off Ash's hat and laid down beside him. Together, they sat in silence, listening to the sounds of nature around them and enjoying the peace and quiet.

The sounds of cracking branches in the back and the sound of a Pokémon being recalled into a Pokéball caught Ash and Pikachu's attention. Sitting up, Ash turned around and saw May emerging from the forest, panting. Immediately, Ash's eyes became cold as he clenched his fists.

"What are you doing here? I thought I told you to get away from me, traitor!" Ash growled.

May flinched from his choice of words, but shrugged it off and walked towards him.

"Ash, I'm sorry that you had to see that." May said, referring to the kissing incident. "But I assure you, I did not mean for that to happen!"

"What the heck are you talking about?! I saw it clearly! You were busy kissing him in front of me! Why are you even here, talking to me?! You should be back with him instead of ruining my life!"

"No, Ash! Do you want to know what happened? He set me up and blackmailed me!" May cried out. Ash, who was in shock and confusion, didn't know how to respond, so May continued. "Ever since I rejected his feelings, he swore to take revenge on me! That earthquake that swallowed you up? It was Drew who set it up in order to separate us!He threatened me that, if I didn't break your heart, he'd hurt Max! I had no choice but to listen to him!" Tears began to form in both Ash and May's eyes.

"May...is that...is that why you've been distant around me? Why you've been aggressive towards me?" Ash finally spoke.

May nodded.

"And, when I briefly visited you in your room, I felt so happy and normal that it almost killed me to leave your side. But Drew had to be there, waiting outside my room. When I tried to get past him, he forcefully pulled me in for a kiss, and that was when I realized that you were there. He forced it onto me to completely crush your heart." May said with sadness.

Speechless, Ash slowly walked toward May, causing her to stiffen and look worried. But all her negative thoughts were thrown out when she felt Ash's arms embrace her. May could hear his sobbing, and she felt his tears on her shoulder. May slowly wrapped her arms around Ash's back and shared his grief. But their moment was interrupted as they could hear someone clapping behind them.

"Awww, how touching. You've managed to win his heart back." A snobbish voice resonated.

"Drew, what do you want now?" May separated from Ash and placed her hands on her hips.

"You!" Ash said angrily, walking towards the grinning coordinator. Ash grabbed him by the collar and glared into his eyes. "How could you mistreat May for rejecting you? Before I had thought that you were just an arrogant, narcissistic person, but now I know that you are a deranged, selfish, and downright awful person!"

"Heh, do you think this verbal assault will do anything?" Drew remarked, pushing Ash away.

Agitated, Ash made his way back toward Drew, but before the trainer could do anything, Drew threw out a fast punch that knocked Ash down onto the ground. May screamed in terror, crouching down by Ash's side. She assisted in helping Ash sit up with worry in her eyes, and Ash spat blood from his mouth onto the ground and stared daggers at Drew. Pikachu sparked with electricity as he also stared down the green-haired coordinator.

"Do you want another go?" Drew asked mockingly. Ash grunted as he stood up, staring into his eyes. "Oh, so you are only going to stare at me, huh. I guess you are too scared of looking like a weak, pathetic punk in front of your annoying, stupid girlfriend."

Ash charged straight at Drew, wanting to shut him up, but Drew was prepared. He sidestepped Ash's punch and knocked him back with a punch of his own. May stood horrified on the side as she watched.

Ash managed to land a few punches on Drew's face, causing the coordinator to burst in fury. Drew angrily attacked Ash, slowly forcing him to the edge of the cliff. Realizing that he was cornered on the cliff edge, Ash started to panick.

"May, Pikachu, help me!" Ash shouted.

May snapped out of her shock and followed closely behind Pikachu, who unleashed a powerful thunderbolt at Drew. Drew narrowly dodged the attack and was about to toss out his Pokéball when Ash grabbed and wrestled him to the ground. May tried to help by keeping Drew down on the ground, but Drew, with a sudden rush of adrenaline, pushed May away and shoved Ash backwards. Being that Ash's back was already close to the ledge, he lost balance and flailed his arms desperately when he felt himself fall down. Ash managed to grab onto the edge of the cliff, dangling a hundred meters above the trees and rocks below him.

Drew stood up and turned towards Ash's helpless figure. He walked towards where Ash's hands clung onto and stomped on his right hand. Ash screamed in pain as he withdrew his right hand and was now only dangling onto the edge with one hand. He looked down and shuddered in fear as he realized that just down below might be his grave.

"Goodbye, Ketchum." Drew smirked, and before he could stomp on Ash's hand, he felt a force fling him away from the cliff edge. Before he could come to his senses, he felt an intense barrage of kicks to his stomach and groin, causing him to groan in pain.

"Pikachu, use Thunder Wave!" Drew heard, before receiving a lightning shock that paralyzed him.

"Gah!" Drew gasped out before receiving one last kick to his genitals, causing him to scream in pain. Drew fluttered his eyes open to see May running away from him and toward Ash. However, he saw Pikachu step in front of him, electricity cackling wildly around his cheeks, before things went black for him.

"Ash!" May exclaimed, crouching in front of him.

"May, I'm losing my grip!" Ash breathed heavily. "I'm gonna fall!"

"No, I'm not going to let that happen!" May said, grabbing hold of his hand. But there was a problem: both of their hands were wet and slippery from sweat, and May screamed when she saw his body fall.


	20. Ending 2 Chapter 17

**Edit: I changed the ending of the chapter because 1) My original plan left me in a spot where I did not know how to continue the story and 2) I kinda want to end the story quickly. There should be one more chapter (2 is unlikely) and I want to say thanks for your patience. I'll post all my thoughts on my journey writing this story in the final chapter. Also, for updates on my current and future stories, check out my profile. I'll try and update that as much as possible.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.**

* * *

Ash fluttered his eyes open, gasping for breath, and squinted as he tried to adjust to the immensely bright light. He covered his eyes from the light, but it didn't seem to help whatsoever, so he lowered his arms and stood up. Once he could finally open his eyes, Ash realized that he was standing in an all-bright world, where there was nothing else there but himself and the overwhelming light.

"Where am I?" Ash wondered aloud, walking forward a bit and scratching his chin. His footsteps echoed throughout the void, bringing some change to the otherwise eerily silent place.

"What is there to do here? And why am I here? And...who am I?" The trainer asked himself. Looking down at his hands and clothes, he tried to recall who he was, but he did not have the slightest idea of his own identity.

Frustrated by the lack of answers for his many questions, he clenched his fists and yelled loudly for any chance of being heard by something. But there was no response.

Groaning, Ash decided to pinch himself to see if he could wake up from what he assumed was a dream, but despite his efforts, he still remained in the bright world.

"Ugh, just get me out of here! Please!" Ash shouted to no one in particular.

But, as if his wishes were responding to him, Ash noticed that the overwhelming light slowly faded to a dark, nighttime setting. In little time, Ash realized that he was standing on grass, overlooking a simple town that was surrounded by hills. The sight seemed very familiar to him, but he just couldn't remember where he had seen it before, or even what importance it served him. Walking along a dirt path, he saw a sign that pointed to the town.

"'Welcome to Pallet Town.'" Ash read. "Huh, the name feels awfully familiar to me, but I don't know why..."

Deciding to explore the town, Ash followed the trail down. Based on his observations, the town was really quiet. "Or is it because it's night time?"

Ash ventured further into the area until he laid eyes on a white house with a red roof, with the building surrounded by a white fence. Curiosity got the best of him, and he wondered onto the yard of the house. For some reason, he felt a sense of happiness and familiarity with the house, and when he decided to go knock on the door to find out why, he heard the sound of crying and sniffling coming from inside. He heard another voice in there, this one sounding like an older man, trying to comfort what Ash presumed to be the person who was crying. Curious, Ash decided to press his ears against the door and listen to the conversation inside.

"Now, now, Delia, we should get going so we can be there for Ash." The trainer heard from the older man.

"Y-you're right, b-bu-but, I can't help but fe-feel that it's already t-t-to late." He heard a woman cry out.

"Delia! Do you even know what you are saying?! This is your son! He'll be just fine. He has to. Now, we have got to go to the hospital. Come on!" The older man said.

Ash heard footsteps coming closer to the door, so, out of fear of getting caught eavesdropping, Ash hid behind a nearby bush. He saw the door open to reveal a man in a lab coat and grey hair, and a woman in a pink and purple outfit who sported a ponytail. Ash felt a tingling sensation in his heart when he saw them, but he didn't know why.

The man led the distressed woman away from the house, then pulled out a Pokéball and summoned an orange dragon Pokémon.

"Dragonite! Please fly us towards the hospital! We need to see Ash!" The man said.

The dragon Pokémon complied, lowering its back for the man and the woman to climb on. In no time, the Pokémon flew upwards with its passengers, and away from the town.

Ash stepped out from behind the bush and looked on as Dragonite flew away. The trainer grasped his head, trying to concentrate on putting together what was happening.

"What is going on?" He asked himself. "First, I was in some weird world with nothing except myself, and then all of a sudden, I was brought here to this town. There has to be some major event or something going on now. Was I brought here to find that old man and that woman, what was her name, Delia?"

Ash shut his eyes as he was feeling overwhelmed by confusion and the unknown.

"But, all I know is that Delia is crying about her son, who is now in a hospital. So that means that there must have been some major accident, and now the man and Delia are on their way to see him. Should I follow them? Should I go to the hospital, too? I can't help but feel that my life depends on it."

Ash opened his eyes, but this time, he found himself to be standing outside a rock building with brown doors and some strange architecture around it. He glanced up and saw words that were etched into the rock, saying "Pewter Gym." He also noted that it was also beginning to rain heavily.

"Huh, why do I feel like I know this place as well?" Ash wondered. "Gosh, this is really hurting my head."

Ash heard the doors slam open to reveal a young man with spiky brown hair, a brown outfit, and, most notably, squinty eyes. The trainer saw that he was in a hurry as the man ran as fast as possible, away from the city. Ash's instincts told him to follow the person, so he sprinted on after him. As Ash ran after him, he could hear the young man mumbling to himself about some dire situation, so he tried to listen to his words.

"Damn, how could this have happened? If only I were there, this wouldn't have happened." The person muttered. "Gosh, I wonder how Delia and May are handling this. This must be painful for them."

Ash clutched his heart, feeling an unknown sensation flowing through him. He didn't know what exactly triggered this reaction, but he did know that when the person he was following mentioned May's name, he felt an intense amount of sadness.

"May...who is May?" Ash wondered. Ash stopped in his tracks and clutched his head again, this time feeling even more dread and hopelessness. "May. I...I feel like I know her, yet, I don't know her. Who is she? And why does her name make me feel this way?"

Ash stood still in the rain, shutting his eyes and letting himself be completely drenched. He didn't care about the wetness, for all he wanted to know was the point of his existence, his connections with the world and people, and about this person named May. But he knew that these answers would be too difficult to find, and that greatly frustrated him.

"Ugh, why am I here?! Why do I have to suffer through this?!" Ash screamed aloud. He dropped to his knees and cried, feeling more overwhelmed than before. All he wanted to do was seize to exist. Maybe, just maybe, he wouldn't feel anymore pain. And he wouldn't have to suffer anymore.

The torrential downpour slowly subsided, and Ash opened his eyes to see that he was at the top of a cliff. Ash stood up and inched his way toward the edge, admiring the view. He could see the lights of civilization in the distance, and he could see the beauty of trees and forests around him. Ash then looked up high at the moon. Just looking at the bright astronomical body put him into a trance, and he felt more relaxed. All his worries were pushed aside, and for once, he felt happy. That is, until a stray cloud moved in front, blocking Ash's view. His smile turned into a frown, and he looked away from the sky to the cliff edge. He stepped closer to the edge, until his toes had nothing under them. Ash took a deep breath and looked straight ahead, looking at the scenery before him. He closed his eyes and spread out his arms, feeling the light breeze brush against his skin. Slowly, but surely, his body leaned forward. But he didn't stop himself. This was exactly what he wanted. To be relieved of all pain. To escape his confusion. To die. And with that, he leaned forward so gravity could do its job.

When Ash felt himself beginning to fall, he heard something. He heard a voice call out to him. An angelic voice.

"Ash! Don't give up! Be strong! Don't die on me!"

Ash opened his eyes and panicked when he realized what he was doing. He turned around and grabbed hold of the cliff edge with his hands. His breathing was rapid, and he struggled to hold onto ground. Ash looked down and saw that he was dangling high above the ground, so he quickly turned his attention back on getting himself to safety. He threw an arm up to grip onto a solid surface, then he managed to crawl onto the cliff. For awhile, he laid on the ground, trying to calm himself. For once in his life, he realized that he was close, too close, to never coming back. Never living again.

Ash sat up. He tried to recall what prevented him from finishing himself. All he knew was that he wanted to escape his problems, so he leaned forward to fall, and, "That's when I heard that voice." Ash realized. "That voice saved my life. But to whom does it belong to?"

All he knew was that the voice sounded very passionate and worried about him. But Ash swore that he would find who the voice belongs to at all costs.

"But where do I start?"

Ash stepped closer to the cliff edge, but this time not as close as before, in order to prevent any accidental fall. He looked around for any clues of what he should do and where he should go, and that's when his eyes focused in on a patch of dark red grass at the bottom of the cliff. Even in the darkness, Ash could see the stains, and he saw that the red stains led away from the cliff towards where the settlement in the distance was. Deciding that he should follow the trail, Ash looked for a way down and found a safe path down the side. In no time, he was at the bottom, following what he now realized was a trail of dried blood.

Ash followed the trail through the thick woods, until he finally arrived at the city. At this point, the trail wasn't as apparent, so he looked around for anything that stood out to him. All around him were civilians and buildings, but as far as he could tell, nothing was out of the ordinary. That is, until he saw a flying Pokémon above him with two passengers on its back. Realizing that it's the same Pokémon and people from before, Ash followed after them. He followed them until he saw them lower onto the ground, next to a hospital. He saw the old man recall the Pokémon back into its ball, and that's when he saw that the young man with spiky hair and squinty eyes had also arrived. The person in the lab coat, the woman, and the spiky-haired man all seemed to recognize each other, and Ash saw them run inside the building. Ash followed them in to see them frantically asking the doctors about a boy named Ash. A Chansey pointed them down a hallway, and the three ran down said hallway. As Ash followed them, and when they neared a corner, Ash could hear commotion coming from inside a room. Following the three others, he walked inside to find a boy on a bed who was completely bandaged up, and...there was this girl...a girl with a red outfit and a bandana on. She was sitting on a chair next to the bed, and she was hunched over while holding onto the patient's hand. No matter what, Ash couldn't tear his eyes off of her. He didn't know why, especially since he didn't feel like he knew her at all, yet there was something strikingly familiar about her.

The girl still had her back faced towards the three people who entered the room, and the woman, the elder man, and the younger man rushed to her side.

"May!" Ash saw the spiky-haired person put a hand on her shoulder.

"May...why does that name sound so familiar to me?"

"May, are you alright? Everything is going to be fine. Right?" The older man asked, but didn't receive a response. "May?"

The girl didn't move at first, but then she turned her head ever so slightly to face the others. Ash tried to look at her face, but her messy hair covered his view. That is, until, she looked in his direction, and his heart stopped.

"May." Ash said. He knew that face anywhere. It was the face of the cute, innocent girl who traveled with him, and the girl who he gave his heart to. But here, her face was saddened, tired, miserable. "May...it's her. She was the one who rescued me on the cliff." Ash realized, as he knew that her voice was the same one from when Ash nearly killed himself.

"Pika..." Ash turned his attention to a Pikachu that was beside the boy's head. The Pikachu had a solemn expression, and his ears were flopped down. Looking at the whole picture, from May, Pikachu, and the bandaged boy, he remembered everything. His memories rushed back into him, and he knew now that Professor Oak, Brock, and his mom were here to visit him. He also knew that the boy on the bed was himself, and that meant that May had brought him all the way here.

"May. May! It's me! I'm right here!" Ash called out to the girl. But she didn't respond. She was still crying. "May, it's me! I'm alright!" Ash stepped closer to her and knelt by her side. But there was still no response. "M-May?" Ash asked worriedly, bringing a hand out to comfort her. But his hand went right through her, and that's when Ash saw that he was a transparent entity, someone who didn't actually exist in the physical world. And that's when Ash, with an immense amount of despair and hopelessness, cried. He choked, and he buried his face in his hands.

"May...please. Hear me..." Ash wished, but he knew he was cursed. There was nothing he could do. "May...May! MAY!"

* * *

Ash gasped for breath. He sat straight up and tried to control his breathing. Before long, he looked around himself to observe his surroundings, and tears rolled down his face when he realized that he was still alive and that everything he feared was just a dream, for he was sitting comfortably in a hospital bed with bandages and casts on his arms and legs.

Ash shut his eyes and covered his face with his hands, silently weeping in gratefulness. He was truly terrified that he would never walk again, and he was especially terrified that he would never see May and her smile. But all those fears are gone now, at least when he sees May again. Just to make her know that he is doing well.

The door clicked open, diverting Ash's attention away from his thoughts, and Nurse Joy walked towards his bed with a clipboard in hand.

"Welcome back!" Nurse Joy beamed. "It's incredibly fortunate that you are conscious after everything that had transpired."

"Nurse Joy! How long was I out for?" Ash asked.

"You've been unconscious for two weeks. However, because of your fall, we can only fully heal your cuts and scrapes. Your arms and legs are broken, but with treatment, you'll be able use them again, although not to their full extent."

"So...what does that mean?"

"It means you may have a limp for the rest of your life."

"Oh..." Ash's face fell. "Well, at least I'm still alive, right?"

"Yep! That's the most important thing! And it may all be because your friend carried you on her back all the way here!"

"May! May I please see her? I need to let her know that I'm fine." Ash asked with determination.

"Of course. Your friends have been waiting outside for two weeks, and I'm sure they will be excited that you're back." Nurse Joy exited the room.

Ash's excitement and nervousness began to tear through his soul. His eyes never left the door, and he waited impatiently for May to walk through the door.

The doorknob slowly turned, and May shyly stepped into the room. She closed the door behind herself, her eyes never leaving Ash's, and she took small, timid steps towards him.

Ash noticed how scared May looked and how she was acting awkwardly, probably because she was so afraid that he was dead, so he tried to ease her.

"Hey, May," Ash put on a warm smile, "It's me. Your Ash."

May's nervousness subsided, and she wore the biggest smile Ash had ever seen. May quickly closed the gap between them and crawled onto the bed to hug him, her tears soaking his clothes. Ash felt his own tears falling again, and he didn't try to stop them. He embraced May, thankful that he was back with her.

May quickly pushed away from Ash with a stern look and angrily pointed her finger at him.

"Mister, you better not scare me like that again, you got that?" She asked him in a serious tone.

"Uh, y-yea, of course, M-May." Ash said unconfidently as he was surprised by May's sudden change in emotion.

"Ash Ketchum! That didn't sound sincere enough!" May began to raise her voice, poking at his chest.

"Yes! I promise! I promise I won't!" Ash quickly said, bracing himself for an onslaught. But he was met with none, as May laughed uncontrollably. Dumbfounded, Ash was about to ask what was going on before May cut him off with a quick peck on the lips.

"I know you won't." May said with a smile.

Just then, the doors opened to reveal Brock, Delia, and Professor Oak. May got off the bed to allow some space for the others, and as she did, Brock, Delia, and Oak all swarmed Ash.

"Ash, we were so worried about you!" Brock exclaimed.

"After we had received a phone call from the hospital, we came here immediately!" Professor Oak explained.

"Ash Ketchum! Explain how you got yourself in this predicament!" Delia commanded as she placed her hands on her hips.

"Uhhh, I...fell down the stairs?" Ash said sheepishly, not wanting to tell her the truth and worry her further. May, Brock, and Oak all placed their hands over their faces in disbelief over his answer, but for Delia, it was enough.

"Oh well, it doesn't matter. The important thing is that you are safe and sound, and it's all thanks to May!" Delia said in her usual cheerful voice.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Ketchum, I'm always looking after your son!" May grinned. "Even if it means reminding him about changing his-"

"M-May! You don't have to!" Ash interrupted as his cheeks turned to a slight tint of red.

"Why, that is just what I'd expect from my future daughter-in-law!" Delia said nonchalantly, causing Ash and May to blush heavily, while Brock and Oak chuckled to themselves.

"Alright, Delia, you're making them uncomfortable. And I think it's best if we leave now so the nurses can finish checking up on Ash." Professor Oak said. The others nodded their heads in agreement, and everyone, except for May, shuffled out of the room.

May held onto Ash's hand and rubbed his forehand with her thumb.

"Get better now, okay?" May asked, looking into Ash's eyes.

"I will. You can count on that." Ash gave a reassuring smile.

May smiled back, then headed for the exit. Opening the door, she looked back at him with the thought that soon enough, they would finally be traveling like normal again.


	21. Ending 2 Epilogue

**Important Note: I had changed the ending of the previous chapter because 1) I did not like where it was going, 2) I did not know how to continue the story, hence this super delayed update, 3) I do not want to prolong the end of this story or else I would be lowering the quality of the story. So if you didn't read the updated chapter, please read that before this. Thanks, and sorry for any inconveniences.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon**

* * *

 **Ending #2**

 **Epilogue**

Drew absolutely hated himself. If he had the power to change anything in the end, he would have stopped himself from entering his deranged and convoluted mentality. He also wouldn't have interfered with Ash and May, and most importantly, he would have respected them from the beginning.

Drew, on a daily basis, would cry in his grey, lonely cell, wishing that he had never done those terrible things. He'd situate himself in a dark, dusty corner with his head drooped down into his knees, and he'd never look up.

" _How did things escalate so quickly into a brawl on the cliff?_ _How could I have become like that?"_

"May, Ash, I'm so sorry." Drew cried out, his muffled cries echoing around the cell and the hallway outside.

The sounds of footsteps caused him to look up, and he gasped in shock when he saw that it was May and Ash. On closer inspection, he noticed how Ash hobbled around on crutches.

"M-M-May? A-Ash?" Drew stuttered with his eyes wide open. Ash and May gave a nod back, and they stood in front of the cell bars, "Why...why are you here?"

"We wanted to check up on you. We wanted to see if you are doing better." May answered.

"But...why?" Drew whimpered. "I don't...I really don't deserve this. I don't deserve your sympathy. Why do you still care about me?"

"It's because, even though you hurt me, hurt Ash, and even threatened to hurt my brother, you are still important to us." May replied.

Tears began to flow down from Drew's eyes, and he covered his face in shame. Standing up, he walked closer to Ash and May.

"I know I won't have, or deserve, your forgiveness, but I'm so sorry for everything I've done. I should have respected you two from the beginning, but I was too stubborn that I lost myself to my lust." Drew said sadly. "I promise that, with all my power and resolve to better myself, I will never interfere with you two, and I will try to help you two and the world the best I can."

"Those are honorable words, and I greatly respect that." Ash smiled.

"And while we can't forgive you for what you've done, the least I can do is see out that you build yourself together and hopefully still remain rivals with me." May gave a wholehearted smile, sticking out her hand for Drew to shake. With a thoughtful look, Drew took it, and for the first time in a long time, he gave a genuine smile.

"Thank you. Thank you both, so, so much." He said as he released his hand from May.

"It's no problem, and I'm glad that you're back to your original self." May grinned, before she and Ash began heading out.

Before they could leave, Drew called out to then once more.

"Hey, wait!" He shouted. Ash and May turned around in confusion, "I think you two look great together. And I hope that your relationship lasts till the end of time." Drew smiled.

Ash and May smiled as well, and they waved their goodbyes before heading out. They walked out of the Police station towards a nearby park. They sat down onto a wooden bench, that was underneath a tree, and they watched as little kids played with their Pokémon on a playground.

"I'm glad we decided to visit Drew." May finally said.

"Me too. It feels a lot better knowing that Drew realized his wrongs, and that he is striving to do as much good as possible."

May nodded, agreeing with Ash. They sat in silence, and May leaned up against Ash and snuggled into his arms, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere.

"What are we going to do, now?" May asked, looking up into Ash's eyes.

"I...I don't know, actually. It's up to you." Ash answered. May shrugged, and they returned their attention back to the kids, who were now playing a game of tag with their Pokémon.

"Hey, May," Ash started to speak, causing May to look up into his eyes, "I do recall Gary mentioning something about a region in the North. I think he said it was Sinnoh."

"Really?" May's eyes sparkled.

"Yeah, and I've heard that they have gyms and contests, too. And the best part is that they have all kinds of new and different Pokémon there!" Ash said excitedly.

"Then let's go there!" May beamed as she took Ash's hands. "Think of all the amazing memories we'll make there!"

"Alright! It's settled! Let's head back and pack up!" Ash exclaimed.

Together, they went to Ash's house as quickly as possible, with May assisting Ash with his crutches. Upon barging into the house, Delia smiled at the two as she had just finished making lunch for everyone.

"Mom, May and I are going to the Sinnoh region!" Ash said.

"Okay, honey! I hope you have a great time there!" Delia said as she set the food onto the table. "When are you leaving?"

"Hopefully very soon! Preferably today, but we probably have to pack up and all that." Ash replied sheepishly.

"Heheh, sorry, Mrs. Ketchum, we're always on the move." May said as she helped Delia with the dishes.

"Oh, no need to apologize! It's always great knowing that my Ash is always aspiring to travel and become a Pokémon master! And, to top it off, you're with him! So I can never feel down about that!" Delia smiled.

May nodded, and the three of them sat down to eat, with Ash chowing down on the food and Delia and May laughing. They ate hastily, then Ash quickly visited Professor Oak's ranch to tell his Pokémon about the news. He let his Battle Frontier team stay in the ranch as well, except for Pikachu.

Ash and May spent the rest of their day packing up and eagerly planning out their journey to the new region, and when it was night time, they struggled to sleep because of their excitement.

The next day, Ash, May, and Pikachu were all ready and set, and in little time, they boarded the ship that would bring them to Sinnoh. During the ride, Ash, May, and Pikachu all leaned up against the railings of the sides to look ahead of the ship. The blueness of the water and the sky, coupled with the breeze of the wind all made May feel tranquil and refreshed, and she closed her eyes. Normally, she'd have some crazy and over-the-top imagination about the scenery and Ash, but now she didn't have to dream. Because now, her fantasies are realities.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading my story! I greatly appeciate all the support I have gotten, and I really would not have been able to do this without you.**

 **(Warning: Tons of complaining and whining)Now, for my thoughts on this story. At first, I was satisfied with my content quality and update schedule, but gradually, I grew to hate what I wrote and ended up slacking because of it. Whenever I first plan out a chapter, I always want to implement some really neat idea, but after looking at the product, I always feel that my idea was horrible. Maybe I just suck and translating my imaginations onto text. And because I struggled to make something up, I didnt have motivation to write, so I'd usually procrastinate until it's too late. So I apologize for that. Other than that, I'm quite happy that I finally completed this story.**

 **Also, I made a profile for updates on current and possible future stories, so be sure to check that out.**

 **Otherwise thank you for believing in me and tolerating my bs!**


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